tibmvy  of  t:he  Cheoiocjicai  ^eminarp 

PRINCETON  •  NEW  JERSEY 

FROM  THE  LIBRARY  OF 
ROBERT  ELLIOTT  SPEER 


BV  2060  .B72  1904 

Brain,  Belle  Marvel,  1359 

1933. 
Holding  the  ropes 


HOLDING  THE  ROPES 


A 


HOLDING  T 
ROPES: 


-, 


%/CAL    t 


Missionary  Methods  for  Workers  at 
Home 


BY 


BELLE  M.  BRAIN 

AUTHOR    OF     "  FUEL    FOR     MISSIONARY    FIRES,"     "  THE    TRANSFOR- 
MATION   OF    HAWAII,"     "   FIFTY     MISSIONARY 
PROGRAMS,"    ETC. 


FUNK  &  WAGNALLS  COMPANY 

NEW  YORK  AND  LONDON 
I9O4 


'¥ 


& 


Copyright,  1903  and  1904, 

BY 

FUNK  &  WAGNALLS  COMPANY 

{Printed  in  the  United  States  of  America) 

Published  June,  1904 


"  We  saw  there  was  a  gold  mine  in  India,"  said  Andrew 
Fuller,  in  1793,  after  listening  to  the  stirring  words  of 
John  Thomas,  who  had  been  pleading  for  India,  "  but 
it  seemed  almost  as  deep  as  the  center  of  the  earth. 
1  Who  will  venture  to  go  explore  it  ? '  we  asked." 

"  I  will  go  down,"  responded  William  Carey,  "  but 
remember  that  you  must  hold  the  ropes." 


CONTENTS 


CHAPTER  PAGE 

I.    The  Bible  in  the  Missionary  Meeting      .  1 

II.     Prayer  in  the  Missionary  Meeting    .        .  20 

III.  Music  in  the  Missionary  Meeting    .        .  41 

IV.  How  to  Interest  the  Individual — A  Study 

of   the    Turning-points   of   Great   Mis- 
sionary Careers 61 


V.  Missionary  Training  in  the  Home 

VI.  The  Missionary  Library 

VII.  The  Mission  Study  Class    . 

VIII.  Missions  in  the  Sunday  School  . 

IX.  The  Money  Problem     . 

X.  Practical  Work  for  Missionary  Societies     156 

XI.  Who's  Who  in  Missions      ....     173 

XII.  Great  Statesmen  in  the  Witness-Box     .     180 

XIII.  Great  Thoughts   of   Master  Missionaries     206 


74 

90 

106 

122 

137 


Hn  irntrofcuctorp  WLotb 

Thousands  of  Christians  must  remain  at 
home  for  every  one  who  is  permitted  to  go  to 
the  front,  but  they  are  not  therefore  excused 
from  active  service.  Christ's  "  Great  Com- 
mission "  is  binding  upon  all  alike,  and  they 
must  go  by  proxy  who  cannot  go  in  person. 
Those  who  are  "  Holding  the  Ropes  "  have 
an  equal  responsibility  with  those  who  are  en- 
gaged in  the  hand  to  hand  work  of  rescue. 

There  are  many  encouraging  indications  that 
Christians  at  home  are  beginning  to  realize  this 
responsibility  more  than  ever  before.  The 
growing  interest  in  the  need  of  the  non-Chris- 
tian world  and  in  the  progress  of  the  Kingdom 
of  God  is  shown  by  the  development  of  mission- 
ary periodicals,  by  the  remarkable  multiplica- 
tion of  missionary  books,  and  in  the  large  num- 
ber of  classes  that  have  recently  been  formed 
among  women  and  young  people  for  the  sys- 
tematic study  of  missions.  Some  knowledge  of 
ix 


AN  INTRODUCTORY  WORD 

the  world-field  is  coming  to  be  considered  an 
essential  part  of  a  Christian  education. 

But  it  is  one  thing  to  have  missionary  facts 
at  one's  command  or  to  hold  a  meeting  for  the 
study  of  the  progress  of  the  Kingdom ;  it  is 
quite  another  to  make  those  facts  live,  or  to 
conduct  the  meeting  so  that  it  will  have  real  in- 
terest and  power.  The  study  of  missions  is  a 
science,  and  the  management  of  a  missionary 
meeting  is  an  art. 

Not  long  ago  we  saw  a  prescription  war- 
ranted to  "  kill  a  missionary  meeting."  It 
was  not  a  patent  medicine  of  which  any  trust 
has  the  monopoly,  for  there  are  too  many  home- 
made concoctions  of  a  similar  sort  which  do 
quite  as  effective  execution.  The  prescription 
may  be  stated  somewhat  as  follows : 

Take  one  dimly  lighted  church  parlor,  at  a  tempera- 
ture not  to  exceed  sixty  degress;  add  a  few  people — the 
older  the  better — drawn  together  by  a  strong  sense  of 
duty  and  an  apologetic  announcement.  Begin  to  stir  to 
slow  music  or  a  formal  prayer  at  from  five  to  twenty 
minutes  late;  drop  in  one  at  a  time,  ad  infinitum,  some 
not  over-fresh  facts  relating  to  the  geography  and  cus- 
toms of  any  mission  field.  Close  up  all  outlets  and  let 
stand,  but  do  not  fail  to  extract  a  few  pennies  from 
each  atom  present. 


AN  INTRODUCTORY  WORD 

Miss  Brain  has  given  us  in  this  volume  an 
antidote  and  a  substitute  for  all  such  treat- 
ment. If  adopted  and  adapted,  we  believe  that 
her  suggestions  cannot  fail  to  resurrect  dead 
meetings  and  to  make  them  living  forces  in  the 
evangelization  of  the  world.  There  is  no  excuse 
for  a  dull  or  dead  missionary  meeting;  it  ought 
to  be  the  most  inspiring  and  interesting  gather- 
ing imaginable.  The  author  of  the  following 
chapters  tells  us  how  to  make  them  such.  Her 
suggestions  are  not  based  on  mere  theories  and 
impractical  ideals,  for  her  methods  have  been 
tested  and  have  proved  successful.  The  papers 
were  originally  prepared  for  The  Missionary 
Review  of  the  World,  and  first  appeared  in  the 
pages  of  that  magazine.  They  have  therefore 
already  been  widely  used,  and  there  have  been 
many  urgent  requests  for  their  publication  in 
a  form  adapted  for  frequent  reference.  As  a 
result  of  wide  experience  and  systematic  study 
Miss  Brain  has  been  able  to  give  us  a  volume 
which  meets  a  real  need,  and  which  will  enable 
us  to  realize  some  of  our  ideals. 

Delavan  L.  Pierson. 
Brooklyn,  New  York. 


xl 


Ube  Bible  in  tbe  Missionary  /l&eetina 

The  greatest  of  all  missionary  books  is  the 
Bible.  Without  it  there  would  be  no  missionary 
work.  The  most  helpful  of  all  missionary 
libraries  is  the  "  little  library  of  sixty-six  small 
books,  usually  bound  together  as  one  great 
Book,  which  has  been  the  inspiration  of  every 
missionary  and  missionary  worker  since  the 
world  began." 

Too  little  use  is  made  of  the  Bible  in  the  mis- 
sionary meeting.  In  many  societies,  where  the 
most  elaborate  preparation  is  made  for  the  re- 
mainder of  the  program,  little  or  no  thought 
is  given  to  the  Scripture  lesson.  It  is  true  that 
reading  the  Bible  at  the  opening  of  the  mis- 
sionary meeting  is  an  almost  universal  custom, 
but  too  often  it  is  done  merely  as  a  matter  of 
form  and  not  with  the  definite  purpose  of  accom- 
plishing something.  The  idea  seems  to  prevail 
that  if  the  Bible  is  read,  no  matter  how,  a  holy 
service  has  been  performed  and  a  blessing  is  sure 


HOLDING  THE  ROPES 


to  follow.  Yet  to  be  effective  the  Scripture  les- 
son must  be  carefully  and  prayerfully  selected, 
impressively  read,  and  its  teachings  forcibly 
applied.  Otherwise  it  will  make  but  little  im- 
pression and  leave  scarcely  a  memory  behind. 

The  writer  recalls  a  missionary  meeting  where 
the  Scripture  lesson,  selected  hastily  at  the  last 
moment,  was  read  in  so  perfunctory  a  manner 
that  less  than  half  an  hour  later,  when  a  test 
was  made,  not  a  single  person  present  was  able 
to  tell  what  had  been  read!  It  was  one  of  the 
most  striking  missionary  passages  in  the  Bible, 
yet  it  had  made  no  impression  whatever. 

On  another  well-remembered  occasion  a  mis- 
sionary worker  of  no  little  prominence  was  asked 
to  read  the  Scripture  lesson  at  a  missionary  con- 
ference. The  passage  selected  was  obscure,  with 
seemingly  no  bearing  whatever  on  the  cause  of 
missions.  As  he  made  no  comment  and  drew  no 
parallels,  his  hearers  are  still  in  ignorance  of 
the  lessons  he  intended  to  convey.  Selecting  in- 
appropriate passages  is,  unfortunately,  not  an 
uncommon  failing.  The  writer  recently  heard 
of  a  leader  of  a  children's  mission  band  who 
opened  her  meeting  by  reading  an  entire  chapter 
from  the  book  of  Lamentations ! 
2 


BIBLE  IN  MISSIONARY  MEETING 

At  still  another  meeting,  the  leader,  who,  by 
the  way,  was  the  pastor  of  the  church,  contented 
himself  by  having  the  congregation  turn  to  the 
back  of  the  hymn-book  and  read  a  short  psalm 
not  specially  missionary  in  character.  This 
practise  is  becoming  so  prevalent,  and  is  such 
a  poor  makeshift  for  a  Scripture  lesson,  that 
one  could  almost  wish  that  the  psalms  might  be 
omitted  from  future  editions  of  the  hymn-book. 
Responsive  readings  and  concert  readings  can 
be  made  effective,  but  it  requires  special  care  to 
make  them  so. 

Instances  such  as  the  foregoing,  which  could 
probably  be  duplicated  by  any  one  in  the  habit 
of  attending  missionary  meetings,  go  to  show 
the  careless  and  ineffectual  way  in  which  the 
Scriptures  are  used.  The  result  is  a  great  loss 
of  power. 

THE    BIBLE   IN   THE    DEVOTIONAL   SERVICE 

There  are  many  profitable  ways  of  using  the 
Bible  in  the  devotional  service  of  the  missionary 
meeting.  The  wise  leader  will  sometimes  use 
one,  sometimes  another.1 

1  Every  missionary  worker  should  have  a  "  Missionary 
Bible,"  such  as  that  described  by   William  D.  Murray, 

3 


HOLDING  THE  ROPES 


To  be  effectual  the  Scripture  lesson  need  not 
be  long.  Sometimes  a  single  text,  followed  by 
a  few  pointed  remarks,  will  make  a  deeper  im- 
pression than  a  whole  chapter  aimlessly  read. 
For  example :  "  Carest  thou  not  that  we 
perish?5'  (Mark  iv:  38).  These  words  of  the 
disciples  to  the  Master  on  the  Sea  of  Galilee 
may  well  be  taken  as  the  cry  of  the  forty  million 
heathen  who  die  every  year  in  foreign  lands. 
Forty  million  will  die  during  the  ensuing  year. 
They  are  passing  away  at  the  rate  of  one  hun- 
dred thousand  a  day.  Every  tick  of  the  watch 
sounds  the  death-knell  of  a  heathen  soul.  With 
every  breath  we   draw   four   souls   pass   away 

in  the  Sunday-School  Times  of  January  15,  1898.  It  is 
an  ordinary  copy  of  the  Bible  in  which  he  has  gathered 
four  different  kinds  of  material:  1.  Autographs  of 
missionaries  and  missionary  workers.  2.  Charts  giving 
facts  and  statistics.  3.  Sayings  of  great  missionaries. 
4.  Striking  missionary  texts.  "  This  Bible  has  been 
nearly  ten  years  in  growing,"  says  Mr.  Murray.  "  Its 
first  usefulness  might  be  called  personal.  It  has  in- 
creased my  interest  in  missions,  it  has  made  my  prayers 
definite,  it  has  made  me  more  efficient  as  a  worker  in 
the  mission  cause.  Another  use  has  been  public.  I  have 
found  here  material  for  missionary  talks,  and  the  things 
which  have  helped  me  have  been  where  1  could  pass 
them  on  to  others." 


BIBLE  IN  MISSIONARY  MEETING 

never  having  heard  of  Christ.     "  Carest  thou 
not  that  they  perish?  " 

Uniting  two  texts  somewhat  similar  in 
thought  sometimes  impresses  a  stronger  lesson 
than  using  either  alone.     For  example : 

"  I  must  be  about  my  Father's  business "  (Luke 
ii :  49  ) . 

"The  King's  business  requireth  haste"  (I.  Samuel 
xxi:8). 

Also, 

"Whatsoever  He  saith  unto  you,  do  it"  (John  ii:5). 
"  See  that  ye  refuse  not  Him  that  speaketh"  (Hebrews 
xii:25). 

Selecting  a  "  golden  text  "  from  the  Scripture 
lesson  for  the  day  and  placing  special  emphasis 
upon  it  is  an  excellent  plan.  Such  passages  as 
the  following  are  adapted  to  this  purpose: 

The  Feeding  of  the  Five  Thousand  (Matthew  xiv:15- 
21).    Golden  Text:  "  Give  ye  them  to  eat"  (v.  16). 

The  Story  of  the  Lepers  at  the  Siege  of  Samaria 
(II.  Kings  vii:3-16).  Golden  Text:  "We  do  not  well; 
this  day  is  a  day  of  good  tidings  and  we  hold  our 
peace  "   (v.  9). 

Our  Lord's  Inheritance  (Psalm  ii).  Golden  Text: 
"  Ask  of  me,  and  I  will  give  thee  the  heathen  for  thine 

5 


HOLDING  THE  ROPES 


inheritance,  and   the   uttermost   parts   of  the  earth   for 
a  possession  "(v.  8). 


Whenever  possible  it  is  well  to  make  the  Scrip- 
ture lesson  appropriate  to  the  topic  for  the  day. 
For  a  meeting  on  the  mountain  people  of  the 
South,  read  the  parable  of  the  lost  sheep 
(Matthew  xviii :  11-13),  impressing  the  thought 
that  missionaries  to  these  people  have  literally 
gone  to  the  mountains  to  "  seek  that  which  has 
gone  astray."  For  a  meeting  on  the  Chinese 
and  Japanese  in  America,  use  the  story  of 
Philip  and  the  Ethiopean  eunuch  (Acts  viii: 
26-39) — the  story  of  a  "  home  missionary  work 
for  a  foreign  missionary  subject."  Like  the 
eunuch,  many  a  converted  Chinese  or  Japanese 
has  gone  "on  his  way  rejoicing"  and  carried 
the  Gospel  to  his  countrymen  in  a  distant  land. 
For  a  Christmas  meeting,  read  "  The  First 
Christmas  Gifts  "  (Matthew  ii :  1-11),  and  call 
attention  to  the  significant  fact  that  the  first 
offerings  to  the  Lord  Jesus  were  brought  by 
Gentile  worshipers. 

Making  slight  changes  in  familiar  texts, 
adapting  them  to  present-day  conditions,  is 
another    excellent    plan.     Texts    showing    the 

6 


BIBLE  IN  MISSIONARY  MEETING 

world-embracing  character  of  Christ's  mission 
can  be  made  most  effective  by  changing  them  to 
suit  the  attitude  of  various  classes  toward  the 
cause  of  missions.  Irreverent  tho  it  may  sound, 
John  Smith,  who  does  not  believe  in  missions, 
either  home  or  foreign,  and  has  no  concern  for 
any  soul  save  his  own,  reads  thus :  "  This  is  a 
faithful  saying,  and  worthy  of  all  acceptation, 
that  Christ  Jesus  came  into  the  world  to  save 
John  Smith."  The  member  of  the  First  Fres- 
byterian  Church,  who  believes  in  working  within 
the  limits  of  his  own  church  walls  but  nowhere 
else,  reads  thus :  "  The  field  is  the  First  Presby- 
terian Church."  The  resident  of  New  York 
City  who  believes  in  city  missions,  but  does 
nothing  toward  saving  his  nation  or  the  world, 
reads  thus :  "  The  Father  sent  the  Son  to  be  the 
Savior  of  New  York  City."  The  citizen  of  the 
United  States  who  believes  in  home  missions  but 
not  in  foreign,  reads  thus :  "  God  so  loved  the 
United  States  that  He  gave  His  only  begotten 
Son."  Only  those  who  believe  in  world-wide 
missions  read  thus :  "  This  is  the  Lamb  of  God 
that  taketh  away  the  sin  of  the  world." 

Following   the   Scripture   lesson   with   a    few 
terse  questions  is  an  excellent  way  of  concen- 

1 


HOLDING  THE  ROPES 


trating  thought  upon  it  and  bringing  out  its 
teachings.  The  following  questions  on  I.  Co- 
rinthians xvi :  2  have  been  suggested : 

1.  How  often  are  we  to  give?  (Upon  the  first  day 
of  the  week.) 

2.  Who  are  to  be  givers?     (Every  one  of  you.) 

3.  What  method  should  be  used  in  giving?  (Let 
every  one  of  you  lay  by  him  in  store — i.  e.,  set  apart  a 
certain  portion.) 

4.  What  is  to  be  the  measure  of  Christian  liberality? 
(As  God  hath  prospered.) 

It  is  sometimes  a  good  plan  to  call  upon  the 
society  to  give  the  Scripture  lesson.  Either 
with  or  without  previous  notice,  let  the  leader 
ask  those  present  to  name  some  of  the  things 
given  to  God  by  prominent  Bible  characters 
(Isaiah  gave  himself,  Hannah  gave  Samuel,  the 
widow  gave  her  mite,  the  little  lad  his  "  five 
loaves  and  two  small  fishes,"  Dorcas  her  needle, 
etc.).  This  is  a  most  helpful  lesson.  For 
another  meeting  those  present  may  be  asked  to 
repeat  some  of  Ihe  promises  to  which  Judson 
referred  when  he  said :  "  The  prospect  is  as 
bright  as  the  promises  of  God." 

A  very  effective  lesson,  contrasting  the  idols 
of  the  heathen  with  the  Jehovah  God  of  the 
8 


BIBLE  IN  MISSIONARY  MEETING 

Christian,  may  be  given  as  follows :  Read  Isaiah 
xl:9-31,  describing  the  majesty  and  power  of 
God,  and  give  special  emphasis  to  the  words, 
"Behold  your  God!"  (v.  9).  Then,  holding 
up  an  idol,  say,  "  Behold  the  heathen's  god !  " 
and  read  Psalm  cxv :  4-8. 

STUDYING  THE  BIBLE  AS  A  MISSIONARY  BOOK 

In  addition  to  reading  the  Scriptures  during 
the  devotional  service,  it  would  be  well  for  every 
missionary  organization  to  devote  some  time  to 
the  systematic  study  of  the  Bible  as  a  mission- 
ary book.  Because  so  few  have  done  this,  the 
average  Christian  has  no  clear  conception  of 
the  place  of  missions  in  the  plan  of  God. 

Many,  even  among  missionary  workers,  are 
so  ignorant  of  the  Scriptural  foundations  on 
which  missionary  operations  rest,  and  of  the 
great  promises  and  prophecies  by  which  the 
ultimate  triumph  of  world-wide  missions  is  as- 
sured, that  their  faith  is  shaken  by  every  tem- 
porary wind  of  adversity  that  seems  to  threaten 
the  missionary  cause.  Such  events  as  the  Boxer 
outbreak  or  the  capture  of  Miss  Stone  fill  them 
with  apprehension  concerning  the  final  outcome 
of  the  work. 

9 


HOLDING  THE  ROPES 


Half  an  hour,  or  even  a  quarter  of  an  hour, 
devoted  to  a  systematic  study  of  the  Bible  at 
the  monthly  missionary  meetings,  not  as  a  part 
of  the  devotional  service,  but  as  a  regular  num- 
ber on  the  program,  would  do  much  to  correct 
all  this.  The  result  would  be  a  band  of  strong 
and  reliable  workers,  able  to  give  a  reason  for 
the  hope  that  is  in  them,  and  standing  strong 
in  the  faith  that  the  day  will  come  when  the 
kingdoms  of  the  earth  shall  have  become  the 
kingdoms  of  our  Lord  and  of  his  Christ. 

Two  series  of  lessons,  each  containing  twelve 
studies,  are  here  recommended  for  the  use  of 
societies  or  individuals  willing  to  take  up  such 
work.  The  first  was  suggested  by  a  study  of 
the  opening  chapters  of  Smith's  "  Short  His- 
tory of  Missions  "  and  Barnes'  "  Two  Thou- 
sand Years  of  Missions  Before  Carey."  The 
second  is  taken  from  Beach's  admirable  little 
text-book,  "  New  Testament  Studies  in  Mis- 
sions." 

I. — THE   GENESIS  OF  MISSIONS 

1.  The   Missionary   Covenant:   "In  thy  seed   shall   all 
the  nations  of  the  earth  be  blest"    (Genesis  xxii:18). 

2.  The  Missionary  Messages  of  the  Prophets. 

3.  Missions  in  the  Hebrew  Hymn-book. 

10 


BIBLE  IN  MISSIONARY  MEETING 

4.  The  Messiah  Missionary. 

5.  Missionary  Key-notes  of  the  First  Christian  Hymns: 
The  Benedictus  (Luke  i:  68-79);  the  Annunciation  to 
the  Shepherds  (Luke  ii:  10-12);  and  the  Nunc  Dimittis 
(Luke  ii:  29-32). 

6.  The  Great  Commission  (Matthew  xxviii:  18-20; 
Mark  xvi:15;  Luke  xxiv:  46-49;  John  xxi:  21,  22;  Acts 
i:8). 

7.  The  Birthday  of  Christian  Missions  (Acts  ii:  1-41 : 
"  Fifteen  nations  heard  the  Gospel,  and  a  missionary 
force  of  three  thousand  was  created  in  a  day"). 

8.  The  Divine  Program  of  Missions  (Acts  i:8). 

9.  "  Beginning  at  Jerusalem " — the  City  Mission 
Period  (Acts  ii :  42-viii :  1 ) . 

10.  "In  all  Judea  and  in  Samaria" — the  Home  Mis- 
sion Period  (Acts  viii.-xii.). 

11.  "Unto  the  uttermost  parts  of  the  earth"— the 
Foreign  Mission  Period   (Acts  xiii.-xxviii.). 

12.  Missionary  lessons  from  the  Epistles. 

II. — NEW   TESTAMENT   STUDIES   IN    MISSIONS 

Part.  I. — Missions  in  the   light  of  the  Gospels 

1.  Parallels  between  the  life  and  work  of  Jesus  and 
those  of  modern  missionaries. 

2.  Gospel  teachings  concerning  the  Gentile  nations. 

3.  Messengers  to  the  world. 

4.  Missionary  fruitfulness. 

5.  Hardness  and  opposition  in  missionary  service. 

6.  The  personal  call  to  missionary  work. 

Part  II. — St.  Paul  and  the  Gentile   World 

7.  The  development  of  Paul  the  missionary. 

8.  Condition  of  the  Gentile  world  in  St.  Paul's  time. 

11 


HOLDING  THE  ROPES 


9.  St.  Paul's  missionary  aims  and  methods. 

10.  St.  Paul  as  a  missionary  teacher. 

11.  Difficulties  encountered  by  St.  Paul  in  prosecuting 
his  work. 

12.  What  St.  Paul  and  his  associates  accomplished 
toward  the  evangelization  of  the  Gentile  world  in  their 
own  generation. 

STORIES    OF    SPECIAL   TEXTS 

Tho  not  always  distinctively  missionary  in 
character,  texts  and  Scripture  passages  asso- 
ciated with  great  missionaries  or  connected  with 
important  events  in  missionary  history  can  be 
used  with  profit  in  the  missionary  meeting. 

Ezekiel  xxxvii:9,  10,  containing  the  words, 
"  Come  from  the  four  winds,  O  breath,  and 
breathe  upon  these  slain  that  they  may  live," 
is  notable  as  the  text  of  the  first  sermon  preached 
in  the  native  tongue  on  the  American  continent. 
The  preacher  was  John  Eliot ;  the  date,  October 
28,  1646.  By  a  strange  coincidence  the  name 
of  the  chief  in  whose  wigwam  the  sermon  was 
preached  was  Waban,  the  Indian  word  signify- 
ing "  breath  "  or  "  wind."  This  made  a  deep 
impression  on  the  red  men,  and  was  regarded  as 
a  good  omen  by  them. 

Isaiah  liv :  2,  3  was  the  text  of  Carey's 
famous  sermon  preached  at  Nottingham,  May 
12 


BIBLE  IN  MISSIONARY  MEETING 

31,  1792,  which  resulted  in  the  formation  of  the 
Baptist  Missionary  Society,  and  ushered  in  the 
remarkable  period  known  as  the  missionary  cen- 
tury. The  two  divisions  of  this  sermon — (1) 
"Expect  great  things  from  God,"  (2)  "At- 
tempt great  things  for  God  " — have  become 
famous  mottoes  of  the  Church.  Another  text 
associated  with  Carey  is  Psalm  xlvi :  10.  On 
the  Lord's  day  following  the  disastrous  fire  at 
Serampore,  which  destroyed  property  valued  at 
nearly  $50,000,  including  his  valuable  Sanscrit 
and  other  translations,  he  preached  on  the  words, 
"  Be  still,  and  know  that  I  am  God,"  and  set 
before  his  hearers  two  thoughts:  (1)  "  God  has 
a  sovereign  right  to  dispose  of  us  as  he  pleases," 
(2)  "  we  ought  to  acquiesce  in  all  that  God  does 
with  us  and  to  us." 

II.  Kings  xiii :  21 — "  As  they  were  burying  a 
man,  behold,  they  spied  a  band  of  men ;  and  they 
cast  the  man  into  the  sepulcher  of  Elisha;  and 
when  the  man  was  let  down  and  touched  the 
bones  of  Elisha,  he  revived,  and  stood  upon  his 
feet  " — was  the  peculiar  text  chosen  by  Gordon 
Lathrop  for  his  powerful  discourse  delivered  at 
an  anniversary  of  the  Church  Missionary  So- 
ciety, held  in  Westminster  Abbey,  three  weeks 
13 


HOLDING  TH*E  ROPES 


after  the  funeral  of  Livingstone.  The  great 
audience,  seated  over  the  spot  where  the  great 
missionary  had  been  so  recently  laid  to  rest,  was 
intensely  moved  when  the  speaker  exclaimed: 
"  Let  the  whole  Church  touch  his  bones  and  rise 
to  a  new  victory  for  God." 

Genesis  i:l  and  John  iii:16  are  the  texts 
that  won  Joseph  Hardy  Neesima  to  the  Chris- 
tian faith.  The  first,  found  in  an  abridged 
copy  of  a  Chinese  Bible  in  the  library  of  a 
friend  in  Japan,  revealed  to  him  God  as  the 
Creator  of  the  universe.  The  second,  slowly 
spelled  out  in  an  English  Testament,  while 
working  his  passage  to  America  on  board  the 
Wild  Rover,  revealed  to  him  God  as  the  Savior 
of  mankind. 

I.  Corinthians  i :  26-29  was  wondrously  used 
of  God  as  a  means  of  leading  Dr.  Clough,  the 
hero  of  Ongole,  to  a  right  decision  of  a  most 
perplexing  question.  There  was  a  flourishing 
school  at  Ongole,  attended  by  over  sixty  hi^h- 
caste  boys,  the  entire  cost  being  borne  by  their 
fathers.  All  went  well  until  three  low-caste 
men  presented  themselves  for  baptism.  The 
missionary  received  them  gladly,  but  the  Brah- 
mans  declared  that  if  he  had  any  more  to  do 

u 


BIBLE  IN  MISSIONARY  MEETING 

with  them  they  would  withdraw  their  support 
from  the  school.  It  was  a  grave  situation,  and 
Dr.  and  Mrs.  Clough  retired  to  separate  rooms 
to  lay  the  matter  before  God.  By  a  curious  co- 
incidence each  had  the  same  experience.  After 
prayer  each  took  up  a  Bible,  and,  opening  it  at 
random,  was  directed  to  the  words  found  in 
I.  Corinthians  i :  26-29.  Next  morning  Dr. 
Clough  announced  his  decision  to  receive  low- 
caste  converts,  whereupon  everybody  left  the 
school  and  the  Brahmans  became  bitterly  hostile. 
But  God  honored  the  work  done  according  to 
His  plan,  and  ere  long  great  ingatherings  began 
that  are  almost  without  a  parallel  in  missionary 
history. 

Psalm  lxii :  5-8  has  a  most  pathetic  interest  on 
account  of  its  use  by  Allen  Gardiner,  the  hero- 
martyr  of  South  America.  While  attempting 
to  carry  the  Bread  of  Life  to  the  heathen  of 
Terra  del  Fuego,  Gardiner  starved  to  death  with 
six  heroic  companions.  When  the  bodies  of  the 
"  deathless  seven  "  were  discovered  a  hand  was 
found  painted  on  the  rocks,  and  beneath  it 
"  Psalm  lxii :  5-8."  The  choice  of  these  words, 
under  such  circumstances,  shows  how  strong 
and  unshaken  was  the  faith  of  this  martyr  band. 
15 


HOLDING  THE  ROPES 


Luke  vi :  30  was  once  a  cause  of  great  per- 
plexity to  Henry  Richards,  the  famous  Baptist 
missionary  on  the  Kongo.  It  was  his  custom 
to  translate  a  few  verses  from  Luke's  Gospel 
every  day  and  expound  them  to  his  dusky 
hearers.  These  people  were  notorious  beggars, 
and  asked  for  everything  they  saw.  When  he 
came  to  the  text,  "  Give  to  every  man  that  ask- 
eth  of  thee,"  he  did  not  know  what  to  do  with 
it.  His  first  thought  was  to  omit  it ;  his  second, 
to  say  that  it  was  not  to  be  followed  literally ; 
but  neither  satisfied  his  conscience.  After  two 
weeks  of  prayerful  consideration,  he  decided  to 
give  out  the  verse  just  as  it  was  written  and  take 
the  consequences.  After  that,  no  matter  what 
the  people  asked  for  he  freely  gave  it  to  them. 
They  were  deeply  impressed  by  this,  and  at 
length  not  only  stopped  asking,  but  brought 
back  much  of  what  they  had  taken  away.  Ere 
long  the  great  awakening  began,  known  in  mis- 
sionary history  as  the  "  Pentecost  on  the 
Kongo." 

I.  Samuel  xxx :  24 — "  As  his  part  is  that 
goeth  down  to  the  battle,  so  shall  his  part  be 
that  tarrieth  by  the  stuff:  they  shall  part 
alike " — is    called    Hannington's    text,    because 

16 


BIBLE  IN  MISSIONARY  MEETING 

he  used  it  so  frequently  in  sermons  and  ad- 
dresses. 

Jeremiah  xlv :  5 — "  Seekest  thou  great  things 
for  thyself?  Seek  them  not,  saith  the  Lord  " 
— was  Henry  Martyn's  favorite  text — a  most 
significant  one  in  view  of  the  fact  that  he  was 
a  brilliant  scholar,  winning  the  highest  honors 
during  his  college  course,  and  so  full  of  worldly 
ambition  that  he  chose  the  law  as  a  profession 
rather  than  the  ministry,  "  chiefly  because  he 
could  not  consent  to  be  poor  for  Christ's  sake." 

Psalms  cxxi  (the  Travelers'  Psalm)  and  cxxxv 
are  known  as  Livingstone's  psalms,  because  they 
are  the  ones  he  selected  to  read  on  that  mem- 
orable morning  in  November,  1840,  when  he 
bade  farewell  to  father  and  mother,  and  the  old 
Scotch  home  at  Blantyre,  and  sailed  away  to 
his  distant  field. 

Of  all  texts  connected  with  missionary  his- 
tory, none  seems  more  inappropriate  than 
Genesis  xlv :  24 — "  See  that  ye  fall  not  out  by 
the  way  " — which,  together  with  Isaiah  xli :  10, 
was  inscribed  on  a  brass  plate  presented  by  two 
ladies  to  the  pioneer  band  of  twenty-five  mis- 
sionaries who  sailed  for  the  South  Seas  on  board 
the  Duff  in  August,  1796.  It  recalls  Marie 
17 


HOLDING  THE  ROPES 


Corelli's  startling  dedication  of  "  The  Master 
Christian  " :  "  To  Churches  quarreling  in 
the  name  of  Christ,"  and  should  remind  us 
that  missionaries  are,  after  all,  only  human, 
and  are  exposed  to  the  same  temptations  as 
Christians  who  stay  at  home. 

Matthew  xxviii :  20  has  been  a  source  of  com- 
fort to  countless  missionaries  in  the  field,  but  to 
none  more  so  than  to  James  Gilmour  at  the  be- 
ginning of  his  lonely  work  among  the  nomad 
Mongols.  "  Companions  I  can  scarcely  hope  to 
meet,"  he  says,  "  and  the  feeling  of  being  alone 
comes  over  me  till  I  think  of  Christ  and  His 
blessed  promise,  '  Lo,  I  am  with  you  alway,  even 
unto  the  end  of  the  world.'  No  one  who  does  not 
go  away,  leaving  all  and  being  alone,  can  feel 
the  force  of  this  promise;  and  when  I  feel  my 
heart  threatening  to  go  down,  I  betake  myself 
to  this  companionship,  and,  thank  God,  I  have 
felt  the  blessedness  of  this  promise  rushing  over 
me  repeatedly  when  I  have  knelt  down  and 
spoken  to  Jesus  as  a  present  companion,  from 
whom  I  was  sure  to  find  sympathy."  * 

1  For  the  stories  of  other  texts  see  "  Modern  Heroes 
of  the  Mission  Field,"  pp.  69,  131-133,  171,  209;  "Irene 
Petrie,"  pp.  60,  61,  63;  "Modern  Apostles  of  Missionary 

18 


BIBLE  IN  MISSIONARY  MEETING 

Byways,"  pp.  11,  15,  35,  36,  50;  "  Pilkington  of  Uganda," 
p.  98;  "  Islands  of  the  Pacific,"  pp.  258,  259;  "  New  Acts 
of  the  Apostles,"  pp.  126,  231 ;  Thompson's  "  Moravian 
Missions,"  pp.  34,  183,  198,  199;  "Mosaics  From  India," 
pp.  82,  83;  "Life  of  James  Chalmers,"  p.  136;  Thomp- 
son's "Foreign  Missions,"  pp.  373,  374;  The  Missionary 
Review,  February,  1888,  p.  106;  July,  1893,  p.  502;  Feb- 
ruary, 1896,  p.  83;  February,  1902,  p.  94;  February, 
1903,  p.  148. 


19 


II 

draper  in  the  /nMssionar£  /IDeeting 

Of  all  the  forces  God  has  placed  at  our  dis- 
posal for  winning  the  world  to  Christ  the  great- 
est is  that  of  prayer.  Through  its  mighty 
power  marvelous  achievements  have  been 
wrought ;  for  lack  of  it  the  progress  of  the 
kingdom  has  been  seriously  retarded.  The  ab- 
solute dependence  of  missions  upon  prayer  is 
shown  by  the  following  words  of  great  leaders 
in  the  work : 

Every  step  in  the  progress  of  missions  is  directly- 
traceable  to  prayer.  It  has  been  the  preparation  of 
every  new  triumph  and  the  secret  of  all  success. — 
Arthur  T.  Pierson. 

Epochs  of  prayer  are  the  most  significant  epochs  in 
the  history  of  Christ's  kingdom.  Trace  ahy  stream  of 
blessing  back  far  enough,  and  its  source  will  be  found 
above  the  clouds. — Augustus  C.  Thompson. 

Everything  vital  in  the  missionary  enterprise  hinges 
upon  prayer. — Johk  R.  Mott. 

Every  element  of  the  missionary  problem  depends  for 
its  solution  upon  prayer. — Robert  E.  Speer. 

20 


PRAYER   IN  MISSIONARY  MEETING 

Yet,  to  a  great  extent,  prayer  is  an  unused 
power  in  missionary  work.  The  average  mis- 
sionary organization  "  plays  at  prayer,"  and 
does  not  even  play  at  it  very  hard. 

In  most  societies  prayer  is  at  once  the  most 
important  and  the  least  important  item  on  the 
program — the  most  important  in  that  no  so- 
ciety dares  to  begin  without  it ;  the  least  im- 
portant in  that  scant  time  and  little  thought 
are  given  to  it.  Too  often  an  opening  prayer 
is  offered  largely  because  it  is  the  proper  thing 
to  do,  and  the  omission  of  it  would  offend  both 
God  and  man.  An  almost  superstitious  feeling 
seems  to  prevail,  that  if  the  heads  are  bowed  for 
a  few  moments  while  a  brief  petition  is  offered, 
or  the  Lord's  Prayer  is  repeated  (not  prayed) 
in  unison,  all  will  be  well,  and  the  society  may 
safely  proceed  to  other  business.  Yet  prayer 
that  is  offered  merely  for  the  sake  of  praying 
can  not  prevail  with  God,  and  leaves  scarcely  a 
memory  in  the  heart  of  man.  A  few  turns  of  a 
prayer-wheel  from  Tibet  would  serve  the  pur- 
pose nearly  as  well. 

The  writer  recently  attended  a  missionary 
meeting  which  was  opened  by  a  most  eloquent 
prayer.  It  was  a  model  of  its  kind,  yet  so  easily 
21 


HOLDING  THE  ROPES 


did  the  polished  sentences  roll  out,  and  so  in- 
definite were  its  petitions,  that  less  than  half  an 
hour  later,  when  a  test  was  made,  no  one  present, 
including  the  one  who  offered  it,  could  remem- 
ber a  single  petition  of  it,  or  even  state  its  gen- 
eral trend. 

At  another  meeting  the  leader  called  for  sen- 
tence prayers.  Those  present  responded  with  a 
number  of  well-worded  petitions,  but  at  the 
close,  when  they  were  unexpectedly  asked  to  tell 
for  what  they  had  prayed,  only  two  could  re- 
member! They  had  probably  been  more  con- 
cerned over  the  rhetorical  excellence  of  their 
phrases  than  with  the  substance  of  their  peti- 
tions, yet  a  halting  phrase  from  the  heart  is  in- 
finitely better  than  a  polished  sentence  from  the 
head. 

The  lack  of  prayer  in  the  missionary  meet- 
ing is  due  to  several  causes.  In  the  first  place, 
the  number  of  those  willing  to  lead  in  prayer  is 
usually  limited.  There  can  not  be  much  inter- 
cession because  there  are  so  few  intercessors. 
In  some  societies  the  Lord's  Prayer  is  repeated 
at  every  session  because  none  of  the  members 
will  lead  in  prayer,  and  in  others  the  entire 
burden    of   supplication    rests   on   one   or   two. 


PRAYER   IN   MISSIONARY  MEETING 

If  these  are  absent,  the  society  is  in  de- 
spair. 

A  pastor's  wife,  who  was  formerly  secretary 
of  a  Young  Woman's  Christian  Association,  re- 
lates an  incident  that  would  be  amusing  were  it 
not  so  reprehensible.  One  afternoon  a  lady 
from  a  near-by  church  came  to  the  office  of  the 
association  in  great  haste.  "  We  are  in 
trouble !  "  she  exclaimed.  "  Mrs.  W is  ab- 
sent, and  no  one  else  will  pray !  We  can't  begin 
the  meeting!  Won't  you  please  come  over  and 
pray  for  us?"  The  secretary  went  at  once.  "I 
felt,"  she  says,  "  that  they  needed  praying  for 
in  more  senses  than  one." 

In  the  second  place,  there  is  a  widespread  feel- 
ing, seldom  expressed,  and  not  always  realized, 
that  in  view  of  the  vastness  of  the  field,  the  hun- 
dreds of  missionaries  and  millions  of  Christless 
souls,  it  is  impossible  to  exert  an  influence 
through  prayer.  The  supplications  of  some 
mighty  man  of  God — a  Pastor  Harms,  a  George 
Miiller,  or  a  John  G.  Paton — might  indeed  pre- 
vail, but  not  so  the  petitions  of  an  obscure  be- 
liever in  an  unknown  missionary  society.  Yet 
the  humblest  believer  may  become  mighty  in 
supplication.     The  apostle  James  is  careful  to 


HOLDING  THE  ROPES 


explain  that  Elijah,  who,  for  three  years  and  a 
half,  controlled  the  rainfall  by  his  prayers,  was 
"  a  man  subject  to  like  passions  as  we  are." 
The  God  of  Elijah  still  rules  the  universe,  and  it 
is  a  glad  tho  solemn  thought  that  the  devout 
Christian  of  to-day  may,  through  prayer,  con- 
trol the  showers  of  spiritual  blessing  from  on 
high. 

SOME    SECRETS   OF    PREVAILING    PRAYER 

But  prayer  in  the  missionary  meeting  is  lack- 
ing not  only  in  quantity,  but  in  quality  as  well. 
Missionary  leaders  should,  therefore,  endeavor 
to  learn  some  of  the  secrets  of  prevailing 
prayer. 

The  first  lesson  we  need  is  that  of  definiteness 
in  prayer.  There  should  be  more  real  praying 
for  specific  things.  It  was  said  of  Gossner  that 
he  "  prayed  open  both  hearts  and  pocketbooks, 
prayed  up  the  walls  of  a  hospital,  prayed  mis- 
sion stations  into  being."  Having  the  same 
great  promises,  any  missionary  society  may 
pray  workers  into  the  field,  money  into  empty 
treasuries,  and  heathen  souls  into  the  king- 
dom of  God.  Individual  missionaries  and 
special  fields  should  be  prayed  for  by  name,  and 


PRAYER  IN  MISSIONARY  MEETING 

not  in  the  roundabout  fashion  that,  by  reason 
of  long  usage,  has  become  almost  a  law  of 
prayer.  Sir  John  Patteson  took  a  long  step  in 
advance  when,  at  family  worship,  he  began  to 
pray  for  "  John  Coleridge  Patteson,  missionary 
bishop,"  instead  of  "  the  absent  member  of  this 
family,"  as  had  been  his  custom.  The  dying 
prayer  of  John  Hunt  is  a  model  of  definiteness : 
"  O  let  me  pray  once  more  for  Fiji!  Lord,  for 
Christ's  sake  bless  Fiji!  Save  Fiji!  Save  Thy 
servants ;  save  Thy  people ;  save  the  heathen  in 
Fiji!" 

Another  lesson  we  need  is  that  of  agreement 
in  prayer.  The  promise  of  the  Master,  "  If  two 
of  you  shall  agree  on  earth  as  touching  any- 
thing that  they  shall  ask,  it  shall  be  done  for 
them  of  my  Father  which  is  in  heaven  "  (Mat- 
thew xviii:19),  is  often  quoted  but  seldom 
used  in  a  way  to  insure  its  fulfilment.  If  the 
members  of  a  missionary  society  would  select 
certain  definite  objects,  and  enter  into  a  cove- 
nant to  pray  for  them  both  publicly  in  the  meet- 
ings and  privately  at  home,  their  power  in 
prayer  would  be  increased  a  hundred-fold. 

A  third  lesson  is  that  of  expectancy  in 
prayer.  It  is  the  prayer  of  faith  that  prevails 
25 


HOLDING  THE  ROPES 


with  God.  In  his  matchless  text-book,  "  With 
Christ  in  the  School  of  Prayer,"  Andrew  Mur- 
ray says:  "  As  long  as  in  prayer  we  just  pour 
out  our  hearts  in  a  multitude  of  petitions,  with- 
out taking  time  to  see  whether  every  petition  is 
sent  with  the  purpose  and  expectancy  of  get- 
ting an  answer,  not  many  will  reach  the  mark." 

Probably  nowhere  are  prayers  so  frequently 
offered  with  little  or  no  expectation  of  an  an- 
swer as  in  a  missionary  meeting.  This  is  due 
partly  to  a  lack  of  faith  in  the  promises  and 
prophecies  of  God  and  partly  to  the  remote- 
ness of  the  mission  field.  It  seems  incredible  to 
many  that  a  prayer  offered  in  New  York  can 
be  instantaneously  answered  in  Calcutta.  Yet 
with  an  omniscient,  omnipresent  God,  distance 
is  no  hindrance.  Through  the  divine  telegraphy 
of  prayer,  which  needs  neither  wire  nor  key,  but 
simply  a  heart  in  tune  with  God,  the  remotest 
soul  may  be  reached  in  an  instant  of  time. 

Prayer  which  combines  the  elements  of  defi- 
niteness,  agreement,  and  expectancy  has  a 
power  well-nigh  unlimited  with  God.  This  is 
illustrated  by  the  "  Story  of  the  Seventy  "  in 
Mrs.  Geraldine  Guinness  Taylor's  history  of 
the  China  Inland  Mission.    About  the  year  1880 


PRAYER   IN  MISSIONARY  MEETING 

the  mission  began  to  be  seriously  embarrassed 
for  lack  of  men.  Opportunities  were  opening  in 
districts  long  closed  to  Gospel  effort,  but  there 
were  no  workers  to  enter  them.  In  the  autumn 
of  1881  a  number  of  the  China  Inland  mis- 
sionaries met  at  Wu-chang  for  conference  with 
Mr.  Hudson  Taylor.  As  they  prayed  they  be- 
gan to  realize  that  while  they  had  been  urgent 
in  pleading  for  open  doors,  they  had  neglected 
to  ask  for  men  to  enter  them.  Believing  that 
God  would  supply  all  their  need,  they  took  a 
sheet  of  paper,  and  went  over  their  whole  vast 
field,  province  by  province,  noting  the  points  in 
each  where  reinforcements  seemed  absolutely 
necessary.  When  at  length  they  came  to  an 
end,  it  was  found  that  no  less  than  seventy  new 
workers  were  needed — an  overwhelming  number, 
in  view  of  the  fact  that  their  entire  staff  was 
less  than  a  hundred,  and  that  the  growth  of 
fifteen  years.  But,  believing  it  to  be  God's 
plan,  they  then  and  there  covenanted  together 
to  plead  daily  with  God  in  agreed  prayer  for 
the  coming  of  the  seventy  within  three  years. 
So  confidently  did  they  expect  an  answer  that, 
before  they  separated,  a  thanksgiving  service 
was  held,  in  which  they  thanked  God  for  what 
27 


HOLDING  THE  ROPES 


He  was  going  to  do.  Note  the  result.  At  the 
end  of  three  years  not  seventy,  but  seventy-six 
new  missionaries  were  at  work  in  China!  God 
had  given  more  than  they  had  asked. 

SOME  PRACTICAL  SUGGESTIONS 

In  every  missionary  meeting  there  should  be 
much  prayer,  not  only  in  connection  with  the  de- 
votional service,  but  at  appropriate  intervals 
throughout  the  entire  session. 

The  ideal  way  to  open  the  meeting  is  by  a 
brief  season  of  silent  prayer  for  God's  blessing 
and  the  Spirit's  presence.  No  other  form  of 
devotion  so  quickly  solemnizes  the  heart  as  this, 
which  brings  every  soul  face  to  face  with  God. 

Calling  for  sentence  prayers,  consisting  of  a 
single  petition  for  some  definite  object,  is  an 
excellent  plan.  It  not  only  gives  opportunity 
to  a  large  number  to  take  part,  but  teaches 
brevity  and  conciseness  of  petition.  That  such 
prayers  are  acceptable  to  God  may  be  learned 
from  a  study  of  Bible  prayers,  which  are,  as  a 
rule,  very  short.  "Lord,  save  me!"  (Mat- 
thew xiv:  30),  Peter's  prayer  for  himself,  and 
"Lord,  help  me!"  (Matthew  xv:  25),  the 
Syro-Phenician  woman's  prayer  for  her  child, 


PRAYER  IN   MISSIONARY   MEETING 

consist  of  but  three  words  each,  yet  they  were 
speedily  and  wondrously  answered.  It  is  always 
wise  to  designate  the  way  of  closing  a  series  of 
sentence  prayers.  This  may  be  done  by  ap- 
pointing some  one  to  make  the  closing  prayer, 
by  uniting  in  the  Lord's  Prayer,  or  by  singing 
a  prayer-hymn  while  the  heads  are  still  bowed. 

A  chain  of  prayer,  which  usually  consists  of 
several  prayers,  fewer  in  number  but  longer  in 
petition  than  sentence  prayers,  is  a  very  helpful 
plan.  The  names  of  those  who  participate 
should  always  be  announced  beforehand,  so 
that  they  may  follow  one  another  in  order,  and 
if  special  topics  are  assigned,  they  should  be 
written  on  slips  of  paper  and  distributed  before 
the  meeting  opens. 

The  Lord's  Prayer  is  more  widely  used  than 
any  other  form  of  petition.  It  is  universally 
repeated,  but  seldom  really  prayed.  Missionary 
leaders  could  render  no  greater  service  to  the 
cause  of  Christ  than  to  teach  a  correct  use  of  its 
matchless  missionary  petitions.  "  If  all  true  be- 
lievers could  only  unite,"  says  Bishop  Thoburn, 
"  not  in  repeating  the  words  merely,  but  in  ut- 
tering from  the  heart,  the  first  petition  of  our 
Lord's  Prayer,  '  Thy  Kingdom  come,'  the  na- 
29 


HOLDING  THE  ROPES 


tions  would  be  shaken,  and  the  Kingdom  of  God 
begin  to  advance  with  mighty  strides  toward 
universal  triumph." 

Praise  as  well  as  prayer  should  have  a  place  in 
the  missionary  meeting.  There  should  be  gen- 
eral thanksgiving  for  the  progress  of  Christ's 
kingdom  in  the  world,  and  specific  praise  for 
special  blessings  granted  in  the  work.  Each 
issue  of  India's  Women  and  China's  Daughters, 
the  organ  of  the  Church  of  England  Zenana 
Missionary  Society,  contains  two  long  lists  of 
requests,  one  for  praise,  the  other  for  prayer, 
which  societies  and  individuals  are  urged  to  use. 

Maps  are  an  invaluable  aid  to  intercession. 
No  great  orator  at  the  Ecumenical  Conference 
inspired  more  prayer  than  the  map  that  hung 
above  the  platform  of  Carnegie  Hall,  its  great 
dark  patches  revealing  how  much  land  remains 
yet  to  be  possessed  of  God.  At  the  opening  ses- 
sion of  the  Free  Assembly  of  Scotland,  in  1886, 
the  Moderator,  Dr.  Somerville,  declared  that 
the  best  prayer-book  for  daily  use  was  a  pocket 
atlas  of  the  world,  and  proved  his  assertion  by 
a  series  of  remarkable  prayers  in  which  he  daily 
interceded  for  all  the  nations  of  the  earth  in 
turn.  Every  state  and  territory  in  the  United 
30 


PRAYER   IN  MISSIONARY   MEETING 

States,  and  many  of  the  larger  cities,  were  pre- 
sented at  the  throne  of  grace  by  name,  as  were 
also  the  principal  cities  and  divisions  of  India, 
China,  and  other  heathen  lands. 

An  almost  ideal  season  of  map-inspired 
prayer  was  recently  observedJby  the  study  class 
of  a  Young  Men's  Christian  Association.  With 
a  map  of  the  world  before  them,  they  spent  an 
hour  and  a  half  in  silent  prayer,  pleading  in- 
tensely and  earnestly  for  the  conversion  of  the 
world.  One  by  one  the  fields  were  taken  up  until 
the  globe  was  girdled  with  petition.  No  word 
was  spoken  save  by  the  leader,  who,  from  time  to 
time  announced  the  countries  in  their  turn. 

In  societies  where  only  a  few  of  the  members 
are  willing  to  take  part  in  prayer  a  constant 
effort  should  be  made  to  increase  the  number. 
Sentence  prayers,  or  short  Scripture  prayers 
written  out  on  slips  of  paper,  are  very  helpful 
for  this.  Many  a  timid  soul  has  been  led  to  pray 
for  the  first  time  in  public  through  being  asked 
to  be  one  of  many  to  offer  a  single  brief  peti- 
tion or  read  a  Bible  prayer. 

In  the  average  society  the  session  is  so  short, 
and  so  much  is  crowded  into  it,  that  there  is  in- 
sufficient time  for  prayer.  To  remedy  this,  every 
31 


HOLDING  THE  ROPES 


missionary  organization  should  have  connected 
with  it  a  prayer  circle  composed  of  those  willing 
to  meet  for  a  few  moments  before  the  regular 
meeting,  or  at  some  other  convenient  time,  to 
pray  for  certain  specific  things ;  or,  if  meeting 
together  seems  impracticable,  a  covenant  might 
be  entered  into  to  pray  daily  at  some  stated 
hour  in  the  home.  Few  leaders  realize  what  can 
be  accomplished  in  this  way. 

For  nearly  five  years  it  was  the  privilege  of 
the  writer  to  be  the  leader  of  a  young  people's 
missionary  organization  that  had  many  remark- 
able experiences  of  answered  prayer.  Every- 
thing connected  with  the  society  was  taken  to 
God,  not  only  by  the  leader,  but  by  an  "  inner 
circle "  of  praying  ones.  The  answers  were 
often  according  to  God's  own  scale,  "  Exceed- 
ing abundantly  above  all  that  we  ask  or  think." 
In  making  the  programs,  God  was  always  asked 
to  give  the  wisdom  promised  in  James  i :  5 
The  result  was  a  series  of  plans  that  were  not 
only  greatly  blest  to  their  original  users,  but 
that,  printed  later  in  a  little  book,  have  been 
widely  used  throughout  the  United  States  and 
Canada,  and,  to  some  extent,  across  the  sea  as 
well.  The  programs  being  made,  God  was  al- 
32 


PRAYER   IN  MISSIONARY  MEETING 

ways  asked  not  only  to  make  the  young  people 
willing  to  take  the  parts  assigned,  but  also  to 
make  them  faithful  in  the  carrying  of  them  out. 
It  is  worthy  of  note  that  of  the  seven  hundred 
assignments  made  in  five  years'  time,  less  than 
a  dozen  failed  in  any  way.  In  response  to  con- 
tinuous prayer  for  more  helpers  and  deeper  in- 
terest, the  society  grew  steadily  in  numbers  and 
power.  One  by  one  the  young  people  were 
prayed  for  by  name  (not  publicly,  of  course), 
until  they  were  drawn  into  the  work,  some  of 
them  giving  up  all  forms  of  doubtful  amuse- 
ment in  order  to  enter  more  fully  into  the  ser- 
vice of  the  Lord.  Prayer  was  offered,  too,  that 
God  would  call  some  of  their  own  number  to  the 
mission  field.  In  answer  to  this,  five  of  the 
young  people  pledged  themselves,  God  permit- 
ting, to  become  foreign  missionaries. 

It  was  the  custom  of  the  leader,  after  select- 
ing the  Scripture  lesson  for  each  meeting,  to 
pray  that  God  would  bless  His  Word  and  make 
it  fruitful  in  some  soul.  No  prayers  were  an- 
swered more  signally  than  these.  On  one  oc- 
casion the  text  selected  was  II.  Samuel  xxiv: 
24 — "  Neither  will  I  offer  burnt  offerings  unto 
the  Lord  my  God  of  that  which  dost  cost  me 
S3 


HOLDING  THE  ROPES 


nothing."  A  stranger  who  was  present  that 
evening — the  treasurer  of  a  large  church  in  a 
neighboring  city — was  so  deeply  impressed  with 
the  words,  which  he  had  never  before  noticed  in 
the  Book,  that  on  his  return  home  he  had  them 
printed  on  the  collection  envelopes  of  his 
church. 

Large  boxes  of  books  and  other  literature 
were  frequently  sent  to  destitute  districts  in  the 
West.  Before  starting  them  off,  prayer  was 
always  offered  that  God  would  bless  and  use 
their  contents.  On  one  of  these  occasions  the 
young  man  who  led  in  prayer  asked  that  "  some 
soul  might  be  led  to  Christ  through  something 
in  that  box,  and  that  we  might  hear  of  i£."  A 
few  months  later  a  letter  came,  saying  that  the 
mother  of  a  large  family  of  children  had  been 
converted  through  reading  one  of  the  books  in 
that  very  box. 

One  of  the  most  remarkable  answers  to  prayer 
was  granted  at  an  all-day  missionary  meeting  in 
a  neighboring  city,  where  the  leader  of  the 
society  and  a  valued  assistant  had  gone  to  con- 
duct a  young  people's  hour.  It  was  to  be  held 
at  the  close  of  the  afternoon  session,  and  the 
pastor's  wife  was  very  dubious  about  the  at- 
34 


PRAYER   IN   MISSIONARY   MEETING 

tendance.  A  literary  club  to  which  many  of 
the  young  women  belonged  was  to  meet  at  the 
same  hour,  and  a  large  party  was  to  be  given 
in  the  evening.  The  outlook  was  dark  indeed. 
But  during  the  noon  hour  a  little  meeting  was 
held,  with  but  half  a  dozen  present,  in  which 
the  matter  was  laid  before  God  in  prayer. 
Early  that  afternoon  the  young  women  began 
to  come  in  twos  and  threes,  and  when  the  meet- 
ing opened,  the  room  was  crowded  to  the  doors. 

ENCOURAGEMENTS  TO   PRAYER 

Every  missionary  society,  to  increase  its  faith 
and  encourage  the  spirit  of  supplication,  should 
study  prayer  and  its  answer  in  missionary  his- 
tory. The  following  examples  have  been  se- 
lected from  an  almost  countless  number  to  show 
the  power  of  prayer  in  every  phase  of  the  mis- 
sionary problem. 

1.  Open  Doors, — At  the  beginning  of  the 
nineteenth  century  almost  the  whole  world,  out- 
side of  Christendom,  was  closed  to  missionary 
effort.  Now,  in  answer  to  prayer  for  open 
doors  that  was  made  without  ceasing  by  the 
Church  of  Christ,  practically  the  whole  world 
is  open  to  the  Gospel.  Dr.  Pierson  says : 
35 


HOLDING  THE  ROPES 


During  the  year  1858,  Japan,  after  two  centuries  of 
sealed  ports,  made  treaty  with  Great  Britain;  China 
enlarged  the  rights  conceded  sixteen  years  before;  India 
became  part  of  Britain's  world-wide  empire,  and  zenanas 
were  penetrated  by  Christian  women;  Italy  laid  the 
basis  of  her  new  era  of  freedom;  Mexico  threw  open  her 
doors  to  the  Protestant  missionary — all  this  and  much 
more  within  a  twelvemonth.  In  that  one  annus  mirabilis 
two-thirds  of  the  entire  population  of  the  globe  were 
suddenly  brought  within  the  reach  of  a  full  Gospel  and 
an  open  Bible.  It  was  that  same  year  that  the  week 
of  prayer  began,  upon  the  recommendation  of  the  mis- 
sionaries in  Lahore,  and  how  quickly  the  answer  came ! 

2.  Laborers. — Open  doors  call  for  men  to 
enter  them,  but  this  need,  too,  has  been  met  by 
prayer.  "  Pray  ye  therefore  the  Lord  of  the 
harvest,  that  He  would  send  forth  laborers  into 
His  harvest,"  is  a  Divine  command  that  has 
never  been  obeyed  in  vain.  Reference  has  been 
made  to  the  prayers  of  the  China  Inland  Mis- 
sion for  seventy  new  missionaries  within  three 
years.  In  the  autumn  of  1886,  when  again 
doors  were  opening  everywhere  before  them, 
they  began  to  pray  for  one  hundred  new  mis- 
sionaries during  the  ensuing  year.  Again  God 
honored  their  faith.  Of  the  six  hundred  candi- 
dates who  applied,  one  hundred  were  selected 
and  sent  to   China  before  the  close  of   1887. 

36 


PRAYER   IN   MISSIONARY   MEETING 

Equally  notable  was  the  answer  granted  to  the 
Church  Missionary  Society  in  1884.  There 
was  a  pressing  need  for  workers,  and  a  day  of 
special  intercession  was  appointed  in  the  hope 
of  meeting  it.  The  day  preceding  it,  however, 
Secretary  Wigram  was  called  to  Cambridge, 
where  there  was  a  deep  spiritual  movement 
among  the  students.  Before  midnight  one  hun- 
dred men  had  volunteered  for  foreign  missions, 
and  next  day  he  returned  to  his  colleagues  to 
quote  the  old  promise :  "  Before  they  call  I  will 
answer;  and  while  they  are  yet  speaking  I  will 
hear." 

3.  Money. — Reinforcements  of  men  call  for 
enlarged  gifts  of  money,  but  the  history  of 
missions  proves  that  there  will  be  no  lack  of  this 
when  God,  not  man,  is  depended  upon  to  supply 
it.  When  Hudson  Taylor  and  his  associates 
asked  for  one  hundred  new  missionaries  they 
asked  also  for  money  to  send  them.  And  know- 
ing that  if  it  came  in  small  amounts  it  would 
necessitate  an  increase  in  office  force,  they  asked 
that  it  might  be  given  in  large  amounts.  It  is 
worthy  of  note  that  the  entire  amount  (about 
$50,000)  was  paid  in  eleven  payments.  The 
financial  record  of  Pastor  Harms'  mission  has 

37 


HOLDING  THE  ROPES 


been  called  a  "  spiritual  study  in  statistics." 
In  fifty  years  the  congregation  of  simple  Ger- 
man peasants  at  Hermannsburg  raised  the  vast 
sum  of  $2,141,657  for  their  missionary  work 
through  prayer,  and  so  nicely  was  demand  bal- 
anced by  supply  that,  tho  their  expenditures 
varied  greatly  from  year  to  year,  the  income 
varied  in  exact  proportion,  so  that  a  deficit 
never  occurred  at  any  time. 

4.  Revivals. — Every  great  ingathering  on 
the  mission  field  may  be  directly  traced  to 
prayer.     Mary#Moffet  wrote  in  South  Africa: 

The  Spirit  of  God  has  commenced  His  operations, 
and  surely  He  will  go  on.  Oh,  for  a  more  general  spirit 
of  prayer  and  supplication !  I  hear  from  my  friend, 
Miss  Leeds,  that  the  very  time  of  the  awakening  here 
was  the  season  of  extraordinary  prayer  among  the 
churches  at  home.  What  a  coincidence  and  an  encour- 
agement to  persevere  in  that  most  important  part  of 
Christian  duty! 

In  1846  the  first  of  a  remarkable  series  of 
revivals  occurred  in  Miss  Fiske's  school  in 
Persia.  By  comparing  dates  it  was  found 
that  on  the  memorable  morning  when  first  the 
showers  began  to  descend  in  Oroomiah,  Mary 
Lynn  had  said  to  her  pupils  at  Mount  Holyoke : 
38 


PRAYER   IN   MISSIONARY   MEETING 

"  We  must  pray  more  for  Miss  Fiske  and  her 
school  of  Nestorian  girls."  Of  the  subsequent 
revivals,  some  began  on  the  day  of  the  monthly 
concert  at  home,  others  on  the  first  Monday  in 
January,  which  was  at  that  time  devoted  to  the 
missionary  cause. 

5.  Preservation  of  Missionaries. — The  power 
of  prayer  to  protect  and  deliver  missionaries  in 
time  of  peril  is  strikingly  shown  in  the  life  of 
William  Burns.  Arriving  in  Chao-chou-fu  on 
the  eve  of  the  war  which  broke  out  between 
China  and  Great  Britain,  he  was  arrested  and 
ordered  sent  to  Canton.  The  relations  of 
China  with  foreign  nations  were  so  disturbed 
that  he  was  in  the  greatest  danger.  Yet  no 
harm  came  to  him.  Why?  In  the  diary  of 
a  noble  Scotch  woman  occurs  this  entry: 

Mr.  Burns  was  safely  kept  through  his  arrest  and 
imprisonment  in  China.  Comparing  the  dates,  I  find 
that  we  were  met  in  prayer  for  him  during  his  dan- 
gerous journey  under  guard  of  the  Chinese  officials. 

Instances  similar  to  this  have  occurred  in  the 
lives  of  many  a  worker  in  the  field. 

For  other  instances  of  answered  prayer  see 
"  Foreign  Missions,"  by  A.  C.  Thompson, 
39 


HOLDING  THE  ROPES 


Lecture  8 ;  "  The  New  Acts  of  the  Apostles," 
by  A.  T.  Pierson,  Part  V. ;  "  The  Life  of  John 
Kenneth  Mackenzie,"  by  Mrs.  Bryson,  Chapter 
9 ;  "In  the  Tiger  Jungle,"  by  Jacob  Cham- 
berlain, Chapter  1 ;  "  The  Story  of  the  China 
Inland  Mission,"  by  Geraldine  Guinness  Tay- 
lor; "Prayer  and  Missions,"  by  Robert  E. 
Speer ;  "  Praying  and  Working,"  by  W.  H. 
Stevenson ;  "  Pioneering  in  the  New  Hebrides," 
by  John  G.  Paton,  and  almost  all  missionary 
biographies. 


40 


Ill 
ZlDusfc  In  tbe  /HMssfonars  Meeting 

Music  is  an  important  factor  in  the  mission- 
ary meeting.  So  great  is  the  power  of  sacred 
song  to  "  help  the  human  heart  to  love,  to  dare, 
and  to  aspire,"  that  many  a  soul  has  been  led 
to  yield  itself  to  God  and  obey  his  call  to  mis- 
sionary service  through  the  singing  of  a  hymn. 

Two  such  instances  have  come  within  per- 
sonal knowledge  of  the  writer.  One  was  that 
of  a  young  man  who  possessed  a  fine  bass  voice 
and  was  a  member  of  the  quartet  choir  in  a 
prominent  city  church.  He  had  long  been  a 
confessed  follower  of  Christ,  but  was  just  be- 
ginning to  see  the  beauty  and  privilege  of  a  life 
of  service,  when  one  evening  the  pastor  an- 
nounced, in  closing,  a  well-known  missionary 
hymn.  As  the  young  man  sang  the  stirring 
words  he  heard  God's  voice  calling  him  to  the 
mission  field.  Intensely  moved,  he  went  at  once 
to  the  home  of  a  trusted  friend  for  advice. 
41 


HOLDING  THE  ROPES 


Obeying  the  call  involved  the  giving  up  of  cer- 
tain bright  business  prospects,  and  probably  the 
breaking  of  a  tender  tie,  yet  that  night,  ere 
he  slept,  the  young  singer  made  the  resolve, 
"  God  permitting,  I  will  be  a  foreign  mission- 
ary," and  shortly  after  enrolled  himself  among 
the  Student  Volunteers. 

The  other  instance  was  that  of  an  earnest 
Christian  girl  who  felt  that  God  was  calling  her 
to  the  mission  field,  but  was  quite  unwilling  to 
go.  A  sore  struggle  had  been  going  on  in  her 
heart  for  months,  when  one  day  at  a  young 
people's  meeting  at  a  summer  assembly  the 
hymn,  "  I  surrender,"  was  announced.  Unwill- 
ing to  sing  with  her  lips  words  that  her  heart 
was  refusing  to  utter,  she  kept  silent  and  did 
not  join  in  the  singing.  At  the  close  of  the 
meeting  she  crept  away  in  an  agony  of  soul, 
once  more  to  lay  the  matter  before  God  in 
prayer.  Ere  long  the  victory  came,  and  with 
it  came  the  peace  of  God.  With  a  joy  that  had 
long  been  a  stranger  to  her  soul,  her  heart 
echoed  and  reechoed  the  refrain,  "  I  surrender, 
I  surrender,  I  surrender  all !  " 

Music,  however,  is  not  always  effective  in  the 
missionary  meeting.     Too  often  the  service  of 


MUSIC   IN   MISSIONARY   MEETING 

song,  tho  fairly  good  from  a  musical  stand- 
point, is  lacking  in  spiritual  power.  This  is 
largely  due  to  the  fact  that  so  little  attention 
is  paid  to  the  words.  "  Music  is  wings,  and 
the  words  are  the  body,"  says  Dr.  A.  F. 
Schauffler.  "  As  wings  without  a  body  are  of 
no  use,  so  music  that  does  not  help  the  words 
is  of  no  avail  from  a  spiritual  standpoint." 

The  thoughtless  singing  of  a  hymn  must 
really  be  a  serious  offense  in  the  sight  of  God. 
The  writer  has  never  forgotten  the  exhortation 
of  a  good  old  Presbyterian  pastor  in  Cincinnati, 
Ohio,  who,  after  announcing  a  hymn  expressing 
deep  consecration  and  loyal  love  to  Christ,  said 
to  the  congregation :  "  Now,  my  dear  people,  I 
beg  of  you,  do  not  s'mg  lies  to  the  Lord  this 
morning!  " 

The  contrast  between  the  sentiments  of  a 
hymn  and  the  conduct  of  the  singers  is  some- 
times painfully  apparent.  One  of  Dr.  John 
Hall's  favorite  stories  was  of  a  pious  Scotch- 
man who  lustily  sang  the  words: 

Were  the  whole  realm  of  nature  mine, 
That  were  a  present  far  too  small; 

Love  so  amazing,  so  divine, 

Demands  my  soul,  my  life,  my  all 

43 


HOLDING  THE  ROPES 


and  as  he  sang  fumbled  in  his  pocket  to  find 
the  smallest  coin  he  had  for  the  contribution 
box. 

Another  serious  hindrance  to  the  spiritual 
power  of  music  is  the  use  of  inappropriate 
selections.  Elaborate  anthems  rendered  largely 
for  the  gratification  of  the  musical  faculty,  and 
not  in  a  true  spirit  of  worship  to  God,  are  out 
of  place  in  missionary  meetings.  So  also  is 
secular  music  of  any  kind.  The  practise  of 
having  secular  solos  in  the  hope  of  attracting 
those  not  interested  in  missions  is  deplorable. 
No  matter  how  beautiful  and  pleasing  such 
music  may  be,  it  has  no  place  on  the  missionary 
program. 

SOME    PRACTICAL    SUGGESTIONS 

Every  missionary  organization  should  have 
a  committee  to  take  charge  of  the  music  and  see 
that  it  is  made  an  attractive  feature  of  each 
meeting.  An  accompanist  should  also  be  ap- 
pointed, and  either  a  precentor  or  choir  to  lead 
the  singing,  but  it  is  well  to  remember  that  the 
power  of  sacred  song  is  immeasurably  increased 
when  "  the  hands  that  touch  the  organ  keys  and 
the  voices  that  lead  in  singing  psalms  and 
44 


MUSIC  IN  MISSIONARY   MEETING 

hymns  and  spiritual  songs  are  at  the  disposal 
of  the  Holy  Ghost  and  usable  as  His  instru- 
ments." 

While  it  is  well,  occasionally,  to  arrange  for 
appropriate  solos  and  duets,  music  in  the  mis- 
sionary meetings  should  largely  consist  of  con- 
gregational singing.  The  method  of  conduct- 
ing it,  however,  may  frequently  be  varied. 

1.  Stenciling  the  words  of  special  hymns  on 
large  sheets  of  paper  or  muslin,  and  singing 
from  them  instead  of  from  books,  is  an  excellent 
plan  which  concentrates  the  attention  and  pro- 
duces fine  results. 

2.  Responsive  singing,  rightly  conducted, 
can  be  made  very  effective.  In  hymns  such  as 
"The  Light  of  the  World"  and  "What  a 
Wonderful  Savior ! "  where  two  lines  of  each 
stanza  are  alike,  one  division  of  the  society  may 
sing  the  first  and  third  lines  and  the  other  re- 
spond with  the  second  and  fourth,  all  uniting 
in  the  chorus.  In  such  hymns  as  "  Revive  Us 
Again  "  and  "  Bringing  in  the  Sheaves,"  where 
the  repetition  occurs  in  the  chorus,  the  entire 
society  may  sing  the  stanzas  and  the  two 
divisions  alternate  in  the  lines  of  the  chorus. 
"Watchman,   Tell  Us   of  the  Night"   should 

45 


HOLDING  THE  ROPES 


always  be  sung  antiphonally,  either  by  a  choir 
and  the  society,  or  by  two  divisions  of  the  so- 
ciety. 

3.  Reading  the  words  of  a  hymn  instead  of 
singing  them  is  helpful  sometimes.  It  may  be 
done  either  responsivcly  or  in  unison,  and  is 
especially  to  be  recommended  where  the  number 
present  is  too  small,  or  the  voices  not  strong 
enough  for  good  congregational  singing. 

4.  Professor  Amos  R.  Wells  makes  the  fol- 
lowing suggestion,  which  is  well  worth  adopt- 
ing: 

Choose  a  missionary  hymn  that  shall  be  sung  at  all  the 
missionary  meetings  for  the  year — not  some  flippant 
song,  but  some  grand  old  hymn  of  the  faith.  It  should 
be  committed  to  memory,  and  at  the  beginning  of  every 
missionary  meeting  the  entire  company  should  rise  and 
sing  it  with  fervor. 

5.  Making  slight  changes  in  familiar  hymns 
to  adapt  them  to  special  occasions  may  some- 
times be  done  with  good  effect.  The  hymn 
"  Christ  for  the  World  We  Sing  "  lends  itself 
nicely  to  this  method ;  for  example,  in  a  meeting 
on  Japan,  the  name  of  the  country  may  be 
substituted  for  the  words  "  the  world  " : 

40 


MUSIC   IN   MISSIONARY   MEETING 

Christ  for  Japan  we  sing, 
Japan  to  Christ  we  bring. 

For  a  home  missionary  meeting  the  words 
"  our  land  "  may  be  used,  and  for  world-wide 
missions  each  stanza  might  be  sung  in  a  dif- 
ferent way — 1.  Christ  for  the  world;  2.  Christ 
for  our  land ;  3.  Christ  for  our  state ;  4.  Christ 
for  our  homes. 

At  one  of  the  sessions  of  Woman's  Day  at 
the  Ecumenical  Conference  a  very  effective 
change  was  made  in  the  third  stanza  of  Heber's 
famous  hymn : 

Can  /  whose  soul  is  lighted 

With  wisdom  from  on  high, 
Can  /  to  men  benighted 

The  lamp  of  life  deny? 

6.  Connecting  hymns  with  the  Scripture  pas- 
sages which  inspired  them  calls  attention  to  the 
words  and  deeply  impresses  their  lessons.  Thus : 
"  Jesus  Shall  Reign  Where'er  the  Sun  "  should 
be  used  in  connection  with  Psalm  lxxii ;  "  Joy 
to  the  World  "  with  Psalm  xcviii ;  "  Hark !  the 
Voice  of  Jesus  Calling  "  with  Isaiah  vi :  8,  and 
"  Ye  Christian  Heralds,  Go,  Proclaim "  with 
Mark  xvi:  15. 

47 


HOLDING  THE  ROPES 


7.  Native  airs  from  missionary  lands  sung 
by  persons  dressed  in  native  costume  affords  a 
pleasing  innovation.  Such  music  rarely  has  a 
spiritual  value,  but,  like  pictures  and  curios, 
it  serves  a  noble  purpose  in  creating  interest  in 
foreign  peoples  and  foreign  lands. 

MISSIONARY    STORIES    OF    THE    HYMNS 

Hymns  associated  with  great  missionaries 
and  famous  native  converts,  or  connected  with 
notable  events  in  missionary  history,  are  appro- 
priate for  use  in  the  missionary  meeting.  An 
entire  evening  may  be  profitably  devoted  to  a 
missionary  song  service,  in  which  such  hymns 
are  sung  and  their  stories  told. 

"  From  Greenland's  Icy  Mountains,"  the 
greatest  of  all  missionary  hymns,  was  written 
by  Reginald  Heber,  the  young  rector  of  Hod- 
net,  who  afterward  became  the  beloved  Bishop 
of  Calcutta.  During  the  week  preceding 
Whitsunday,  in  1819,  he  went  to  Wrexham  to 
assist  his  father-in-law,  Dean  Shirley,  with  the 
services.  A  royal  mandate  had  been  issued  call- 
ing for  a  missionary  collection  at  the  morning 
service,  and  on  Saturday  afternoon,  in  the  pres- 
ence of  a  few  friends  in  the  rectory  parlor,  Dr. 
48 


MUSIC   IN   MISSIONARY   MEETING 

Shirley  requested  his  son-in-law  to  write  a  hymn 
for  the  occasion.  The  young  rector,  whose 
heart  had  been  deeply  stirred  by  the  story  of 
Henry  Martyn's  life,  complied  at  once.  Re- 
tiring to  a  window  of  the  room  he  wrote  out 
the  first  three  stanzas  of  the  hymn  that  has 
made  his  name  immortal,  and,  returning,  read  it 
to  his  companions.  One  change  only  was  made, 
and  that  a  slight  one — the  word  "  heathen " 
being  substituted  for  "  savage  "  in  the  second 
verse.  Dr.  Shirley  was  abundantly  satisfied, 
but  young  Heber  declared  it  incomplete,  and, 
withdrawing  again  for  a  few  moments,  wrote 
out  the  matchless  lines  of  the  concluding  verse. 
The  following  extract  from  Heber's  journal, 
written  on  his  voyage  to  India  in  1823,  adds 
much  to  the  interest  of  the  second  verse: 

Tho  we  were  now  too  far  off  to  catch  the  odors  of  the 
land,  yet  it  is,  we  are  assured,  perfectly  true  that  such 
odors  are  perceptible  to  a  very  considerable  distance. 
In  the  Straits  of  Malacca  a  smell  like  that  of  a  haw- 
thorn hedge  is  commonly  experienced,  and  from  Cey- 
lon, at  thirty  or  forty  miles,  under  certain  circumstances, 
a  yet  more  agreeable  scent  is  inhaled. 

"Tell    It    Out   among   the   Heathen,"    Miss 
Havergal's  stirring  hymn,  was  written  one  Sun- 
49 


HOLDING  THE  ROPES 


day  morning  in  Wales,  while  the  church  bells 
were  ringing.  Being  too  ill  to  attend  the 
service,  she  poured  forth  the  longing  of  her 
heart  in  verse.  Dr.  Duffield  calls  attention  to 
the  fact  that  both  the  words  of  the  hymn  and 
the  tune  written  for  it  by  Mr.  Sankey  suggest 
the  chiming  of  the  bells. 

"  I  Gave  My  Life  for  Thee,"  another  hymn 
by  Miss  Havergal  that  has  rendered  good  ser- 
vice in  the  missionary  meeting,  was  written  in 
Germany  in  1859.  It  was  inspired,  so  she  tells 
us,  by  a  picture  of  Christ,  crowned  with  thorns, 
beneath  which  were  the  words : 

"I   gave  my  life  for  thee; 
What  hast  thou  given  for  me?" 

Since  Miss  Havergal  attended  school  at  Dus- 
seldorf,  and  afterwards  visited  the  place,  it  is 
believed  by  many  that  the  picture  to  which  she 
refers  was  the  Ecce  Homo  of  Sternberg  in  the 
Dusseldorf  Gallery,  which,  with  the  same  in- 
scription underneath,  so  powerfully  impressed 
Count  Zinzendorf  when  he  saw  it  in  1719- 

"  Christ  for  the  World  We  Sing  "  was  in- 
spired by  the  motto  of  the  Ohio  State  Young 
Men's  Christian  Association  convention,  held  in 
50 


MUSIC  IN  MISSIONARY   MEETING 

Cleveland  in  1869.  The  words  of  this  motto, 
"Christ  for  the  World,  and  the  World  for 
Christ,"  wrought  in  evergreen  over  the  plat- 
form, so  deeply  impressed  the  Rev.  Samuel  Wal- 
cott,  D.  D.,  that  at  the  close  of  one  of  the  even- 
ing sessions,  while  walking  home  alone  through 
the  streets,  he  "  put  together  "  the  four  stanzas 
of  this  favorite  hymn. 

"  A  Mighty  Fortress  is  Our  God,"  the  grand 
old  hero-psalm  of  Luther,  was  sung  as  a  part- 
ing hymn  by  the  first  band  of  missionaries  sent 
forth  by  Pastor  Harms  in  1853.  At  a  great 
farewell  service  held  in  the  old  church  at  Her- 
mannsberg,  the  departing  missionaries — sixteen 
in  number,  and  all  men — stood  up  at  the  close 
of  the  sermon  and  sang  the  words  so  dear  to 
every  German  heart.  "  There  was  something 
noble,"  says  Dr.  Stevenson,  "  in  those  humble 
men  setting  their  faces  toward  the  savages  in 
Africa,  and  flinging  back  such  lofty  music  out 
of  brave,  composed  hearts." 

"  All  Hail  the  Power  of  Jesus'  Name ! "  con- 
ceded by  all  to  be  the  most  inspiring  hymn  in 
the  language,  was  used  as  the  opening  number 
of  the  Ecumenical  Conference  held  in  New  York 
in  1900.  Few  who  were  present  will  ever  for- 
51 


HOLDING  THE  ROPES 


get  the  inspiring  moment  when  the  vast  audi- 
ence arose,  and  with  glad,  exultant  voices 
poured  forth  this  triumphant  pean  of  praise 
A  touching  incident,  showing  the  power  of  the 
hymn,  comes  to  us  from  India.  One  day,  on 
the  streets  of  a  village,  a  missionary  came  in 
contact  with  a  man  who  belonged  to  a  fierce 
and  warlike  mountain  tribe  to  whom,  as  yet,  the 
Gospel  had  never  been  preached.  Determined 
to  "  carry  Jesus  to  them,"  at  great  personal 
risk  Jne  started  for  their  country,  taking,  among 
other  things,  his  violin.  After  a  two  days' 
journey  he  reached  his  destination,  only  to  find 
himself  surrounded  by  hostile  savages,  who 
pointed  their  spears  at  his  heart.  Death 
seemed  imminent,  but  taking  out  his  violin  he 
began  to  sing  and  play  the  first  verse  of  "  All 
Hail  the  Power  of  Jesus'  Name ! "  Finding 
himself  unharmed,  he  sang  on  and  on  until  at 
length  he  dared  to  open  his  eyes.  Great  was  his 
amazement  to  find  the  spears  dropped  and  the 
people  ready  to  welcome  him.  Their  savage 
hearts  had  been  conquered  by  a  hymn. 

"  Yes,  My  Native  Land,  I  Love  Thee,"  Dr. 
F.  S.  Smith's  beautiful  hymn,  was  sung  at  the 
farewell  service  in  1836,  when  Marcus  Whit- 
52 


MUSIC  IN  MISSIONARY  MEETING 

man  and  his  bride  were  about  to  start  on  their 
long  journey  to  Oregon.  Mrs.  Whitman  was 
gifted  with  a  voice  of  remarkable  sweetness, 
and  had  long  been  a  member  of  the  choir.  So 
dearly  was  she  loved,  that  when  this  hymn  was 
announced  the  congregation  was  unable  to  sing 
it.  They  began  bravely  enough,  but  were  soon 
overcome  by  emotion.  The  bride  alone  con- 
tinued to  the  end,  singing  the  last  stanza  in 
clear,  unwavering  tones  while  many  around  her 
sobbed  aloud. 

"  Before  Jehovah's  Awful  Throne,"  Wesley's 
revision  of  Watts'  version  of  the  One  Hundredth 
Psalm,  was  used  in  a  notable  way  by  Commo- 
dore Perry  while  knocking  at  the  gates  of 
Japan  in  1853.  On  the  morning  of  July  10, 
the  first  Sunday  in  Japanese  waters,  when  divine 
service  was  held  on  board  the  flag-ship,  the 
stars  and  stripes  being  spread  over  the  capstan 
for  a  pulpit,  the  chaplain,  at  Perry's  request, 
announced  this  hymn.  No  more  appropriate 
one  could  have  been  selected.  As  the  band 
struck  up  the  notes  of  Old  Hundred,  the  grand 
old  hymn  echoed  and  reechoed  across  the  Bay 
of  Yeddo,  summoning  a  heathen  nation  to  the 
worship  of  the  living  God. 

53 


HOLDING  THE  ROPES 


"  O  God  of  Bethel,  by  Whose  Hand,"  was 
David  Livingstone's  favorite  hymn.  It  greatly 
cheered  him  during  privations  and  sufferings  of 
his  long  journeys  through  Africa,  and  it  was 
sung  at  the  great  service  in  Westminster  Abbey, 
when,  on  April  18,  1874,  his  body  was  finally 
laid  away  to  rest.  "  O  Thou  From  Whom  All 
Goodness  Flows  "  was  a  source  of  much  comfort 
to  Henry  Martyn  when  reviled  and  persecuted 
for  the  sake  of  Christ  on  the  mission  field.  After 
a  prolonged  and  wearisome  discussion  with  a 
Mohammedan  concerning  the  doctrine  of  the 
divinity  of  Christ,  he  wrote  in  his  diary,  under 
date  of  August  23,  1811 : 

It  is  this  doctrine  which  exposes  me  to  the  contempt 
of  the  learned  Mohammedans.  Their  sneers  are  more 
difficult  to  bear  than  the  brickbats  which  the  boys  some- 
times throw  at  me;  however,  both  are  an  honor  of  which 
I  am  not  worthy.  How  many  times  a  day  have  I  occa- 
sion to  repeat  the  words: 

If,  on  my  face,  for  Thy  dear  name, 

Shame  and  reproaches  be, 
All  hail  reproach,  and  welcome  shame, 

If  Thou  remember  me. 

On  June  12,  1812,  so  the  diary  says,  the  scene 
was  repeated,  and  again  the  saintly  missionary 
found  comfort  in  his  favorite  hymn. 
54 


MUSIC   IN   MISSIONARY   MEETING 

The  matchless  hymn,  "  The  God  of  Abram 
Praise,"  which  Montgomery  placed  above  all 
others  for  majesty  and  elevation  of  thought, 
has  been  a  source  of  comfort  to  many  mission- 
aries. "  Many  times,"  says  Richard  Pattison, 
a  devoted  missionary  to  the  West  Indies,  "  in 
storms  on  the  ocean,  or  in  crossing  from  one 
island  to  another  in  small  vessels,  I  have  held 
on  by  a  rope  and  sung: 

4 « The  watery  deep  I  pass, 
With  Jesus  in  my  view; 
And  through  the  howling  wilderness 
My  way  pursue, 

and  I  have  felt  my  faith  in  God  wonderfully 
strengthened." 

"  Arise,  My  Soul,  Arise,"  Wesley's  hymn 
that  has  been  blest  to  the  conversion  of  so  many 
souls,  has  acquired  a  pathetic  interest  through 
its  association  with  Allen  Gardiner  and  the 
"  Deathless  Seven,"  who,  while  attempting  to 
carry  the  Gospel  to  Terra  del  Fuego,  starved  to 
death  at  Spaniard's  Harbor.  John  Badcock 
was  the  first  of  the  seven  to  die,  and  this  hymn 
was  his  parting  song.  As  he  lay  in  the  narrow, 
leaky  cabin  of  the  Speedwell,  he  asked  Richard 
55 


HOLDING  THE  ROPES 


Williams,  who  lay  beside  him,  to  sing  it  with 
him,  and  shortly  after  passed  away. 

"Rock  of  Ages,  Cleft  for  Me,"  the  hymn 
so  dear  to  every  Christian  heart,  is  especially 
significant  throughout  the  Orient,  where  the 
followers  of  Buddha  and  the  devotees  of  Hindu- 
ism are  willing  to  perform  any  task,  no  matter 
how  difficult  or  how  repulsive,  in  the  hope  of 
escaping  the  pain  and  sorrow  of  countless  rein- 
carnations. Mrs.  Bainbridge  tells  of  a  woman 
who,  in  order  to  make  merit,  dug  with  her  own 
hands  a  well  twenty-five  feet  deep  and  from  ten 
to  fifteen  feet  across.  Not  until  long  after 
completing  this  difficult  task  did  she  learn  of 
free  salvation  through  Christ.  She  was  an  old 
woman  eighty  years  old  when  Mrs.  Bainbridge 
saw  her,  but  she  was  able  to  stretch  forth  the 
poor  old  crippled  hands  that  had  performed 
such  incredible  labor  in  an  endeavor  to  obtain 
salvation,  and  sing  with  her  visitor: 

Nothing  in  my  hand  I  bring, 
Simply  to  Thy  cross  I  cling. 

"  Jesus,   and   Shall   it   Ever   Be,"   the   hymn 
written  by  Joseph   Grigg  when  but  ten  years 
old,  was  sung  at  the  baptism  of  Krishna  Pal, 
56 


MUSIC   IN   MISSIONARY   MEETING 

the  first  Hindu  convert  who  had  the  faith  and 
courage  to  endure  the  odium  of  a  public  confes- 
sion of  Christ.  This  notable  baptism  took 
place  at  Serampore  on  the  last  Lord's  day  of 
the  year  1800,  the  hymn  being  sung  just  before 
Carey  "  desecrated  the  Ganges "  by  leading 
down  into  one  of  its  tributaries  two  candidates 
for  immersion,  his  son  Felix  and  Krishna  Pal. 

"  I'm  Not  Ashamed  to  Own  My  Lord  "  was 
used  by  Mackay,  of  Formosa,  to  strengthen  the 
faith  of  A  Hoa,  his  first  convert,  who  had  be- 
come his  efficient  helper,  but  was  early  learning 
that  the  path  of  service  is  sometimes  strewn  with 
thorns.  When  Dr.  Mackay  was  preaching  for 
the  first  time  in  Kelung,  a  heathen  city  in  North 
Formosa,  he  was  surrounded  by  a  mob  of  angry 
idolators,  among  them  some  of  A  Hoa's  old 
associates,  whose  hatred  for  the  missionary  was 
only  exceeded  by  their  contempt  for  his  con- 
vert. What  followed  can  best  be  told  in  Dr. 
Mackay's  own  words: 

I  turned  to  A  Hoa  and  asked  him  to  address  the 
people.  It  was  a  moment  of  testing.  Never  before  had 
he  spoken  for  Christ  in  the  public  street,  and  it  was 
only  a  few  months  since  he  himself  first  heard  the  Gos- 
pel.    As  he  heard  the  vile  and   scornful  words  of  his 

57 


HOLDING  THE  ROPES 


old  comrades,  he  was  silent  and  hung  down  his  head. 
Immediately  I  read  the  first  verse  of  a  hymn,  and  we 
sang  it  together.  It  was  the  old  Scotch  paraphrase  that 
has  so  often  put  iron  into  the  blood  and  courage  into 
the  hearts  of  trembling  saints: 

"  I'm   not   ashamed   to   own   my   Lord, 
Or  to  defend  His  cause; 
Maintain  the  glory  of  His  cross, 
And  honor  all  His  laws." 

It  was  enough.  A  Hoa  raised  his  head,  and  never  again 
was  he  "  ashamed."  Looking  out  over  the  angry  mob,  he 
addressed  them  in  the  calm,  clear  tones  of  a  man  who 
believes  and  is  not  afraid. 

"  Jesus,  I  My  Cross  Have  Taken,"  was  sung 
in  a  most  touching  manner  by  Sooboonagam 
Ammal,  a  high-caste  Hindu  convert  of  Madras, 
on  the  occasion  of  her  public  confession  of 
Christ.  The  daughter  of  a  learned  and  in- 
fluential Brahman  of  the  strictest  sect,  she  had 
been  reared  in  seclusion  in  a  home  of  wealth 
and  luxury.  The  youngest  and  most  petted 
child  of  the  household,  all  that  money  could 
buy  or  love  could  devise,  had  been  lavished  upon 
her.  Her  clothing  was  of  the  richest  silk,  her 
jewels  rare  and  costly.  She  was,  too,  unusually 
devout  in  her  worship  of  the  gods,  and  from 
58 


MUSIC   IN   MISSIONARY   MEETING 

early  childhood  there  was  no  idolatrous  cere- 
mony into  which  she  did  not  enter  with  zest. 
Yet,  when  she  learned  of  Christ  through  the 
ladies  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Zenana  Mis- 
sion of  Madras,  she  gave  herself  wholly  to  Him, 
and,  finding  that  she  could  not  serve  Him  in 
her  home  by  reason  of  the  bitter  opposition  of 
her  relatives,  she  decided  to  forsake  all — home, 
friends,  the  mother  she  loved  so  well,  her  high 
rank,  her  wealth,  her  costly  jewels — and  seek  a 
refuge  with  the  missionaries.  On  Christmas 
night,  1895,  she  made  her  flight,  going  under 
the  cover  of  darkness  to  the  headquarters  of 
the  mission.  Five  weeks  later,  notwithstand- 
ing the  earnest  efforts  of  her  relatives  to  win 
her  back,  she  publicly  confessed  Christ  and  was 
baptized.  At  the  close  of  the  service,  at  her 
own  wish,  she  sang  the  words  which  so  well  ex- 
pressed her  feelings  that  they  seemed  to  have 
been  written  especially  for  her: 

Jesus,  I  my  cross  have  taken, 
All  to  leave  and  follow  Thee; 
Destitute,  despised,  forsaken, 
Thou,  from  hence,  my  all  shall  be. 

"  In  the  Secret  of  His  Presence,"  "  O  Thou 
59 


HOLDING  THE  ROPES 


My  Soul,  Forget  No  More,"  "  Take  My  Heart 
for  Thine,  Jehovah,"  and  "  Awak'd  by  Sinai's 
Awful  Sound,"  four  devout  hymns  that  have 
proved  most  useful  to  the  Church,  are  worthy 
of  special  note,  because  they  are  the  work  o£ 
Christian  converts  in  mission  lands.  The  first 
was  written  by  Ellen  Lakshmi  Goreh,  a  high- 
caste  Hindu  girl,  born  in  Benares  in  1853,  who, 
after  her  conversion  developed  rapidly  in  the 
Christian  life,  and  became  a  missionary  to  her 
people;  the  second,  by  Krishna  Pal,  Carey's 
first  convert,  who  became  an  earnest  Christian 
and  an  eloquent  preacher;  the  third,  by  the 
native  pastor  of  the  Ampamarianan  ("  Rock 
of  Hurling")  Church,  in  Madagascar,  who 
wrote  it  in  prison  shortly  before  his  death ;  the 
fourth,  by  Samson  Occom,  a  famous  Indian 
preacher  of  New  England. 


60 


IV 

l&ow  to  "(Interest  tbe  1fnfc>i\>ifcual  in  /IDissf  oris 


A    STUDY    OF    THE    TURNING-POINTS    IN    THE 
CAREERS   OF    GREAT    MISSIONARIES  1 


The  supreme  object  of  every  missionary  or- 
ganization should  be  to  interest  those  not  in- 
terested in  world-wide  missions,  and  to  increase 
the  interest  of  those  already  enlisted  in  the 
work.  Yet  there  were  scores  of  missionary  so- 
cieties in  the  United  States  last  year  that  failed 
to  add  a  single  name  to  the  roll  of  those  soundly 
converted  to  the  missionary  cause. 

JThis  topic  is  an  excellent  one  for  use  on  a  missionary 
program.  It  is  appropriate  for  any  missionary  meeting, 
but  especially  so  for  the  missionary  concert  or  a  con- 
ference on  missions.  In  introducing  the  topic,  let  the 
leader  to  whom  it  has  been  assigned  speak  briefly  of  the 
importance  of  interesting  those  not  interested  in  mis- 
sions, and  follow  it  with  instances  of  how  great  mis- 
sionaries were  led  to  devote  their  lives  to  the  work. 
Then  let  him  call  on  those  present  to  tell,  in  a  sentence 
or  two,  how  they  first  became  interested,  and  close  with 
an  appeal  to  all  present  to  try  to  interest  at  least  one 
person  in  missions  during  the  coming  year. 

61 


HOLDING  THE  ROPES 


This  deplorable  state  of  affairs  was  largely 
due  to  the  fact  that  comparatively  few  mission- 
ary workers  put  forth  individual  effort  for  those 
not  interested  in  missions.  Believers  in  Christ 
are  not,  as  a  rule,  won  en  masse;  neither  are 
believers  in  missions.  In  both  cases  they  are 
best  "  hand-picked."  Christians  are  frequently 
urged  to  keep  prayer-lists  of  those  they  hope 
to  win  to  Christ.  Missionary  workers  would  do 
well  to  keep  similar  lists  of  those  they  hope  to 
interest  in  missions.  If  each  worker  would  win 
one  other  worker  to  the  cause  each  year,  the 
evangelization  of  the  world  would  soon  be  an 
accomplished  fact. 

The  question  of  how  to  interest  individuals 
in  missions  is  therefore  one  of  vital  importance 
to  every  missionary  worker.  In  no  way  can  so 
much  light  be  thrown  upon  the  subject  as  by 
studying  the  lives  of  great  missionaries  and 
noting  what  sent  them  to  the  foreign  field. 
What  has  interested  individuals  in  the  past  will 
give  the  best  clue  to  what  will  interest  them  in 
the  future. 

Alexander  Duff,  the  pioneer  of  higher  educa- 
tion in  India,  owed  his  first  interest  in  missions 
to  pictures  of  idols  shown  him  by  his  father  on 
62 


HOW  TO  INTEREST  THE  INDIVIDUAL 

Sunday  afternoons.  Tho  but  four  years  old, 
his  young  heart  was  so  stirred  with  compassion 
for  the  heathen  who  worshiped  such  hideous 
things  that  the  impression  never  left  him.  This 
early  interest  was  intensified  in  his  student  days 
by  the  lectures  of  Chalmers  and  the  addresses 
of  the  great  missionary  pioneers,  Morrison  and 
Marsden. 

Alexander  Mackay,  whom  Stanley  pronounced 
the  greatest  missionary  since  Livingstone,  also 
became  interested  in  missions  in  childhood.  The 
stories  of  missionary  heroism  related  to  him  by 
his  mother,  and  the  map  of  Africa  on  which  his 
father  traced  the  journeys  of  Livingstone  then 
in  progress,  fired  his  young  heart  with  mission- 
ary zeal.  His  thought  was  later  turned  to  the 
foreign  field  by  the  "  Life  of  Patteson  "  and  by 
the  report  of  a  lecture  on  Madagascar  which 
his  sister  had  sent  him ;  but  the  immediate  cause 
of  his  giving  his  life  to  Africa  was  the  appeal 
of  Stanley  for  missionaries  for  Uganda. 

Eliza  Agnew's  purpose  to  become  a  mission- 
ary was  formed  while  at  school  in  New  York 
City,  when  but  eight  years  old.  One  day, 
during  the  geography  lesson,  the  teacher 
pointed  out  the  Isle  of  France  on  the  map, 
63 


HOLDING  THE  ROPES 


and  told  the  children  not  to  forget  it,  for  Har- 
riet Newell,  one  of  his  former  pupils,  was  buried 
there.  As  he  told  the  story  of  her  sweet  young 
life  and  early  death,  Eliza  Agnew's  heart  was 
so  deeply  touched  that  she  decided  then  and 
there  that  when  she  grew  to  womanhood  she 
"  would  go  as  a  missionary  to  tell  the  heathen 
about  Jesus." 

The  first  flame  of  missionary  zeal  kindled  in 
the  heart  of  William  Carey  was  the  result  of 
giving  daily  lessons  in  geography  in  his  little 
school  at  Moulton.  As  he  studied  the  map  of 
the  world,  with  its  vast  regions  lying  in  spiritual 
darkness,  his  heart  was  overwhelmed,  and  he 
began  to  gather  information  about  various 
heathen  lands.  A  copy  of  Cook's  "  Voyages  " 
falling  into  his  hands  about  this  time,  fanned 
the  flame  and  fed  the  growing  impulse,  until  his 
whole  mind  became  absorbed  with  the  thought 
of  preaching  Christ  to  all  the  world. 

Writing  an  essay  on  missions  made  John 
Ludwig  Krapf,  the  great'  African  explorer,  a 
missionary.  When  about  fourteen  years  of  age 
the  principal  of  the  school  which  he  attended 
read  to  the  pupils  a  pamphlet  on  the  spread  of 
Christianity  in  heathen  lands.  Never  before 
64 


HOW  TO  INTEREST  THE  INDIVIDUAL 

had  young  Krapf  heard  anything  of  missions, 
but  the  subject  took  such  a  hold  upon  his  mind 
that  he  at  once  asked  himself  the  question, 
"  Shall  I  be  a  missionary  and  go  to  the 
heathen  ?  "  This  question  was  answered  in  the 
affirmative,  and  shortly  after  he  offered  himself 
as  a  missionary  student  at  Basel. 

Adoniram  Judson,  David  Livingstone,  John 
Scudder,  Henry  Martyn,  and  Samuel  Marsden 
became  missionaries  as  a  result  of  reading  mis- 
sionary literature.  Buchanan's  "  Star  of  the 
East,"  telling  of  missionary  work  in  India, 
changed  the  whole  course  of  Judson's  life,  and 
led  him  to  give  up  the  pleasant  prospect  of  an 
assistant  pastorate  in  Boston  for  the  hardships 
of  a  missionary  career  in  foreign  lands,  Gut?- 
laff's  "  Appeal  in  Behalf  of  China  "  falling  into 
the  hands  of  David  Livingstone,  led  him  to  offer 
himself  for  work  in  the  Middle  Kingdom,  but 
the  Opium  War  blocked  the  way,  and  Robert 
Moffat  won  him  for  Africa.  A  little  tract,  en- 
titled "  The  Claims  of  Six  Hundred  Millions, 
and  the  Ability  and  Duty  of  the  Churches  Re- 
specting Them,"  lent  him  by  one  of  his  lady 
patients,  led  Dr.  Scudder,  the  first  medical  mis- 
sionary from  America,  to  give  up  his  lucrative 
65 


HOLDING  THE  ROPES 


practise  in  New  York  City  and  go  to  Cey- 
lon. 

Jonathan  Edwards'  "  Life  of  David  Brain- 
erd  "  sent  Henry  Martyn  to  India.  Previous 
to  this  his  heart  had  been  deeply  stirred  by  the 
missionary  sermons  of  his  pastor,  the  Rev. 
Charles  Simeon,  but  it  was  the  self-denying  life 
and  heroic  labors  of  the  "  Missionary-  of  the 
Wilderness  "  that  gave  him  courage  to  break 
the  dearest  ties  of  earth  and  bury  himself  in  a 
heathen  land.  This  same  "  Life  of  Brainerd  " 
was  also  the  means  of  inspiring  Samuel  Marsden 
to  undertake  his  great  work  for  New  Zealand. 
While  sailing  across  the  seas  to  take  up  his 
heavy  task  as  chaplain  to  the  convicts  of  New 
South  Wales,  he  read  the  story  of  Brainerd's 
work.  So  deep  was  the  impression  made  that, 
in  addition  to  his  appointed  duties,  he  began  to 
work  for  the  Maoris  also. 

John  Williams,  like  Henry  Martyn,  owed  his 
first  interest  in  missions  to  his  pastor,  the  Rev. 
Matthew  Wilks,  whose  faithful  sermons  on  the 
subject  stirred  his  very  soul.  When  an  appeal 
came  for  helpers  he  responded  eagerly,  and  at 
the  age  of  twenty-one  sailed  away  to  the  island 
field  where  he  was  to  earn  the  title  "  Apostle 

m 


HOW  TO  INTEREST  THE  INDIVIDUAL 

of  the  South  Seas "  and  win  a  martyr's 
crown. 

Two  famous  missionaries,  Fidelia  Fiske  and 
John  Coleridge  Patteson,  decided  to  go  to  the 
foreign  field  while  listening  to  the  addresses  of 
returned  missionaries.  Miss  Fiske's  interest 
dated  back  to  the  departure  of  her  uncle,  Pliny 
Fiske,  for  the  Holy  Land,  when  she  was  but 
three  years  old;  later,  at  Mount  Holyoke,  she 
came  under  Mary  Lyon's  magnetic  influence,  but 
it  was  the  appeal  of  Dr.  Perkins  that  led  her 
to  offer  herself  for  Persia.  Bishop  Patteson's 
interest  also  began  at  an  early  age  through 
hearing  stories  of  missionary  heroism  related  in 
his  home.  But  it  was  while  at  Eton  that  he 
first  heard  God's  voice  calling  him  to  the  foreign 
field.  One  Sunday  afternoon,  in  company  with 
his  fellow-students,  he  went  to  hear  Bishop 
Selwyn  tell  of  his  work  in  the  Southern  Seas. 
As  he  listened  to  the  burning  words  of  the  great 
missionary  he  determined  to  follow  in  his  steps. 
Twelve  years  later  he  accompanied  him  to  his 
distant  field. 

Trying  to  persuade  others  to  go  as  mission- 
aries— working  for  missions,  it  might  be  called 
— led  Hans  Egede  and  Melinda  Rankin  to  be- 
67 


HOLDING  THE  ROPES 


come  missionaries  themselves.  From  the  day 
that  Hans  Egede  found  an  old  book  containing 
the  chronicles  of  the  long-lost  colony  of  Eric  the 
Red,  he  began  to  urge  upon  his  countrymen  the 
duty  of  sending  missionaries  to  Greenland.  But 
by  and  by,  perceiving  that  it  did  not  look  well 
for  him  to  urge  others  to  go  while  he  remained 
at  home,  he  determined  to  undertake  the  work 
himself.  After  the  close  of  the  Mexican  War, 
Miss  Rankin  tried  in  vain,  by  the  use  of  tongue 
and  pen,  to  arouse  the  churches  of  the  United 
States  to  a  sense  of  their  duty  to  the  Mexicans. 
But  at  last  she  was  led  to  exclaim :  "  God  help- 
ing me,  I'll  go  myself !  " 

It  was  giving  to  missions  that  won  Cyrus 
Hamlin,  founder  of  Robert  College,  to  the  mis- 
sionary cause.  The  turning-point  in  his  career 
dates  back  to  an  annual  muster  day — always  a 
great  holiday  in  his  New  England  home — when, 
after  a  hard  struggle,  he  dropped  into  a  mis- 
sionary box,  for  the  education  of  a  heathen  boy, 
the  whole  of  seven  cents,  given  him  by  his  mother 
to  spend  as  he  pleased.  In  consequence  of  his 
generosity  he  was  obliged  to  go  without  his 
dinner.  Long  years  after  he  declared,  in  his 
quaint  way,  that  he  "  came  out  of  that  mission- 
68 


HOW  TO  INTEREST  THE  INDIVIDUAL 

ary  box,"  and  with  him  five  other  missionaries 
who  went  to  his  church  and  dropped  pennies  into 
this  self-same  box. 

Robert  Morrison  and  James  Gilmour  are 
notable  examples  of  men  who  became  great  mis- 
sionaries, not  as  a  result  of  any  striking  ex- 
ternal incident,  but  simply  from  a  desire  to  obey 
the  "  last  command  of  Christ."  The  study  of 
their  Bibles  made  them  missionaries.  The  pole- 
star  of  Morrison's  life  was  duty,  and  it  was  a 
solemn  sense  of  his  duty  to  his  Lord,  and  his 
duty  to  the  heathen  that  led  him  to  devote  his 
life  to  China.  Gilmour's  decision  was  made 
during  his  college  course.  Two  questions  de- 
manded an  answer — how  to  serve  God  and  where. 
In  response  to  the  first,  he  entered  the  ministry ; 
in  response  to  the  second,  he  became  a  mission- 
ary. Common  sense,  he  says,  told  him  to  go 
where  the  work  was  most  abundant  and  laborers 
most  scarce.  "  But,"  he  adds,  "  I  go  as  a  mis- 
sionary, not  that  I  may  follow  the  dictates  of 
common  sense,  but  that  I  may  obey  that  com- 
mand of  Christ,  '  Go  into  all  the  world  and 
preach.'  " 

John  G.  Paton,  whose  autobiography  has 
sent  many  a  missionary  to  the  field,  attributes 

69 


HOLDING  THE  ROPES 


his  interest  in  missions  to  the  prayers  of  his 
father  and  mother  at  the  family  altar.  When 
he  decided  to  become  a  missionary,  they  said  to 
him :  "  When  you  were  given  to  us,  we  laid  you 
upon  the  altar,  our  first  born,  to  be  consecrated, 
if  God  saw  fit,  as  a  missionary  of  the  cross,  and 
it  has  been  our  constant  prayer  that  you  might 
be  prepared,  qualified,  and  led  to  this  very  de- 
cision." 

SOME    PRACTICAL    LESSONS 

There  are  many  lessons  to  be  learned  from 
this  study  of  the  impelling  forces  that  led  noble 
men  and  earnest  women  to  choose  foreign  mis- 
sions as  a  life-work.  First,  there  is  the  prac- 
tical lesson  of  how  to  interest  others.  The  in- 
stances given  show  that  hearts  are  touched  and 
impulses  implanted  in  many  different  ways. 
Pictures,  books,  maps,  stories,  sermons,  tracts, 
addresses,  writing  missionary  papers,  doing  mis- 
sionary work,  giving  missionary  money,  study- 
ing the  Bible,  prayer — each  in  turn  has  been  the 
means,  under  God,  of  sending  one  or  more  great 
workers  to  the  field. 

The  same  means  used  by  the  Christian 
workers  of  to-day  will,  with  God's  blessing, 
70 


HOW  TO  INTEREST  THE  INDIVIDUAL 

produce  similar  results.  This  was  proved  by 
the  testimonies  given  at  the  Ohio  State  Chris- 
tian Endeavor  Convention,  held  in  Zanesville  in 
1902.  At  a  conference  conducted  by  the  writer 
the  young  people  were  asked  to  tell,  very  briefly, 
what  first  interested  them  in  missions.  A  large 
number  of  responses  were  given,  among  them  the 
following : 

"Writing  missionary  papers  and  studying  missions  in 

a  study  class." 

"  Helping  to  support  a  boy  in  a  mission  school." 

"  Realizing  God's  love  for  all  mankind." 

"  Fulfilling   the   dying   request   of  my   mother   to   see 

that  her  missionary  money  was  paid." 

"  The  influence  of  my  teacher  at  school,  who  was  pre- 
paring to  go  to  the  foreign  land  where  she  is  now  at 

work." 

"  Reading  missionary  periodicals  that  came  into  our 

home." 

"Writing  a  paper  on  child-widows  in  India." 

"  Coming    into    contact    with    missionaries    from    the 

field." 
"  A   course   of   lectures    delivered   by   Dr.    Schaff    at 

Lane  Seminary." 

"  Reading  missionary  letters  received  by  a  neighbor." 

"  Contact  with  Student  Volunteers." 

"  Hearing  missionary  addresses  at  conventions." 

Then  there  is  the  lesson  of  individual  responsi- 
bility.    It  is  worthy  of  note  that  the  majority 

71 


HOLDING  THE  ROPES 


of  these  great  missionaries  received  their  in- 
spiration by  contact  with  some  one  soul  ablaze 
with  missionary  zeal.  The  lives  of  Paton, 
Mackay,  Duff,  and  Hamlin  teach  the  duty  and 
responsibility  of  parents  in  the  home,  those  of 
Martyn  and  Williams  the  privilege  and  power 
of  the  pastor  in  the  pulpit.  The  experiences  of 
Eliza  Agnew  and  Dr.  Krapf  reveal  opportu- 
nities little  dreamed  of  that  are  open  to  the 
school-teacher  who  is  faithful  to  his  Lord.  The 
calls  of  Patteson  and  Judson,  Marsden,  Living- 
stone, and  Scudder  give  a  hint  of  the  tremen- 
dous influence  exerted  by  missionary  writers  and 
speakers,  and,  above  all,  by  the  returned  mis- 
sionary from  the  field. 

The  susceptibility  of  the  child  mind  to  receive 
life-impressions  is  another  lesson  that  must  not 
be  overlooked.  Miss  Fiske  was  only  three  years 
old,  and  Dr.  Duff  but  four,  when  their  interest 
in  missions  began,  and  Eliza  Agnew  formed  her 
life-purpose  at  the  age  of  eight.  Sunday- 
school  teachers,  Junior  workers,  and  leaders  of 
children's  mission  bands  should  keep  this  con- 
stantly in  mind. 

Still  another  lesson  is  the  lesson  of  encourage- 
ment. Missionary  workers  are  prone  to  be  dis- 
72 


HOW  TO  INTEREST  THE  INDIVIDUAL 

couraged  because  so  little  fruit  appears  as  the 
result  of  all  their  toil.  Yet  seed  faithfully 
sown,  and  carefully  watered  by  prayer,  will 
sooner  or  later  yield  an  abundant  harvest  and 
receive  a  rich  reward.  The  parents,  teachers, 
pastors,  writers,  and  speakers  who  so  deeply  im- 
pressed the  strong  young  souls  of  earlier  days 
little  knew  what  great  results  were  to  come  from 
their  humble  efforts.  Nor  do  you.  If  you  are 
faithful  to  your  trust  God  may  use  you  to  in- 
spire some  soul  to  do  a  work  in  the  future  as 
great  and  as  glorious  as  any  that  has  been 
wrought  in  the  past. 


73 


flDtesionarp  Graining  in  tbe  1bome 

The  missionary  training  of  children  should 
begin,  first  of  all,  in  the  home.  Nowhere  can 
so  strong  and  sure  a  foundation  for  missionary 
interest  and  activity  be  laid  as  here.  "  I  believe 
there  ought  to  be  education  in  missions  from  the 
cradle,"  says  Dr.  Pierson,  "  and  then,  as  the 
child's  mind  and  heart  are  inspired  with  a  desire 
for  the  uplifting  of  mankind,  the  fire  to  be  fed 
with  fuel  appropriate  to  the  measure  of  the 
child's  intelligence." 

Too  little  importance  has  been  attached  to 
this  matter  and  too  little  stress  laid  upon  it. 
We  have  had  books  and  articles,  addresses  and 
conferences  galore,  on  how  to  interest  the  young 
people  in  the  Christian  Endeavor  Society  and 
kindred  organizations,  but  practically  nothing 
on  how  to  interest  the  little  people  in  the  home. 
Yet  this  is  a  matter  of  primary  importance. 
On  it  depends,  to  a  great  extent,  the  solution  of 
74 


MISSIONARY  TRAINING  IN  THE  HOME 

the  whole  missionary  problem.  Note  the  sig- 
nificant words  of  Mr.  John  R.  Pepper,  of  the 
International  Sunday-school  Lesson  Committee, 
uttered  before  the  New  Orleans  Missionary  Con- 
ference in  1901 : 

I  verily  believe  that  the  heathen  nations  can  be  con- 
verted to  the  religion  of  Jesus  Christ  in  one  generation  if 
the  Church  will  but  rear  a  generation  to  do  the  work. 
.  .  .  I  am  profoundly  impressed  with  the  fact  that  we 
will  never  have  an  irresistible,  all-conquering  line  of 
royal  givers  of  gold,  silver,  or  selves,  until  we  rear 
them,  and  the  first  lesson  of  this  culture  in  real,  honest 
heart-yearning  for  the  salvation  of  the  whole  world  must 
be  received  in  the  springs  and  fountains  of  early  child- 
hood, if  we  would  see  the  largest  yield  therefrom. 

There  are  three  great  reasons  worthy  of  care- 
ful consideration  why  little  children  should  be 
early  trained  in  avenues  of  service  to  Christ  and 
the  lost  world  He  came  to  save:  1.  For  the 
good  of  the  child  itself.  2.  For  the  sake  of 
what  it  can  accomplish  for  the  cause.  3.  To  fit 
it  for  the  responsibilities  of  the  future.  Each 
of  these  will  be  briefly  considered  as  follows : 

I.    THE   GOOD   OF    THE    CHILD   ITSELF ! 

In  these  days  when   snares  and  pitfalls  for 
the  young   abound  on   every  hand,   all  active, 
75 


HOLDING  THE  ROPES 


loving  interest  that  a  child  can  be  induced  to 
take  in  a  great  and  noble  cause  that  absorbs  its 
thought  and  demands  from  it  a  portion  of  both 
time  and  money,  is  a  positive  safeguard  to  it. 
Then,  too,  the  building  of  character  begins  at 
a  very  early  age,  and  if  that  character  is  to  be 
good  and  true  and  noble,  the  highest  ideals 
should  be  laid  upon  it  during  the  plastic  period 
when  the  child  is  most  easily  molded.  On  this 
point  Dr.  Pierson  has  spoken  most  powerfully 
as  follows : 


Nothing  is  so  subtly  fatal  to  all  true  symmetry  of  char- 
acter as  simple  selfishness.  There  is  as  truly  peril  in  a 
self-indulgent  home  as  in  a  positively  vicious  one.  Let  a 
child  begin  by  being  pampered,  petted,  indulged,  taught 
to  gratify  whims  and  selfish  impulses,  and  you  have  given 
a  carnal  tendency  to  the  whole  life.  Now  there  is  this 
precious  fruit  of  very  early  training  in  the  missionary 
spirit,  that  your  boy  or  girl  gets  another  center  of  revo- 
lution outside  of  self.  Others'  wants  and  woes  are 
thought  of,  and  the  penny  that  would  be  wasted  on 
sweets  is  saved  for  the  missionary  box.  Where  mission- 
ary songs  are  sung  at  the  cradle  and  prayers  for  the 
heathen  are  taught  to  lisping  lips  at  the  mother's  knee, 
where  simple  facts  about  the  awful  needs  of  pagan  homes 
and  hearts  are  fed  to  the  children  as  food  for  thought 
and  tonic  for  self-denial,  and  the  habit  is  thus  early  im- 
parted of  looking  beyond  personal  comfort  and  pleasure 
and  feeling  sympathy  for  lost  souls,  a  new  and  strange 

76 


MISSIONARY  TRAINING  IN  THE  HOME 

quality  is  given  to  character.  It  is  no  strange  thing, 
therefore,  that  in  homes  where  a  true  missionary  atmos- 
phere is  habitually  breathed,  we  find  children  insensibly 
growing  up  to  devote  themselves  and  their  substance  to 
God. 

II.    WHAT  THE  CHILD   CAN  ACCOMPLISH   FOR  THE 
CAUSE 

Children,  even  very  little  children,  are  a 
greater  factor  in  missionary  work  than  we  real- 
ize. What  they  actually  accomplish  is  by  no 
means  inconsiderable,  and  far  greater  than  we 
give  them  credit  for.  If  their  efforts  should 
suddenly  cease,  many  a  missionary  wheel  would 
stop  revolving.  Since  the  day  when  the  Lord 
Jesus  used  a  little  lad's  five  loaves  and  two  small 
fishes  to  feed  the  hungry  multitude  He  has  been 
using  children's  gifts  to  bless  the  world.  The 
figures  are  not  at  hand  to  show  the  amount 
given  to  missions  by  the  children  of  Christen- 
dom, but  it  is  undoubtedly  a  vast  sum.  In  pro- 
portion to  their  income,  children  are  the  largest 
givers  in  the  world.  Nor  are  their  prayers  to 
be  despised.  Few  among  older  Christians  pray 
with  the  simple  faith  and  loving  confidence  of  a 
little  child.  If  only  the  curtain  were  drawn 
aside,  we  should  probably  find  that  many  of  the 

77 


HOLDING  THE  ROPES 


blessings  granted  to  the  cause  of  missions  have 
been  given  in  answer  to  the  prayers  of  Christ's 
own  little  ones.  "  Thank  God  for  bairns' 
prayers,"  wrote  James  Chalmers  from  New 
Guinea ;  "  I  like  best  the  prayers  of  children." 

III.    TRAINING   THE    CHILD   TO    BEAR    THE   RESPON- 
SIBILITIES  OF   THE   FUTURE 

A  study  of  missionary  biography  shows 
that  many  of  those  who  have  done  the  most  for 
the  cause  received  their  first  missionary  inspira- 
tion from  their  parents  in  the  home.  The  im- 
pressions gained  during  the  formative  period  of 
childhood  are  never  really  lost,  and  seed  sown 
in  the  nursery,  tho  it  may  lie  dormant  for  years, 
will  at  length  spring  up  and  bear  abundant 
fruit.  This  was  the  case  with  Robert  Moffat, 
David  Livingstone,  Alexander  Duff,  Cyrus 
Hamlin,  Jacob  Chamberlain,  and  other  great 
missionary  heroes.  It  is  also  true  of  many 
whose  work  has  been  to  "  hold  the  ropes  "  at 
home. 

It  is  a  solemn  thought,  freighted  with  no  little 
responsibility,  that  from  among  the  children  in 
our  homes  to-day  must  come  the  great  mission- 
aries and  missionary  givers  of  to-morrow.  Ere 
78 


MISSIONARY  TRAINING  IN  THE  HOME 

long  these  little  ones,  now  so  dependent  upon  our 
care,  are  to  be  entrusted  with  the  money  power 
of  the  Church,  and  upon  them  will  rest  the 
burden  of  preaching  Christ  in  all  the  earth. 
There  are  endless  possibilities  wrapped  up  in 
their  young  lives.  Dr.  Lyman  Abbott  once  used 
this  illustration: 

I  pluck  an  acorn  from  the  greensward,  and  hold  it  to 
my  ear,  and  this  is  what  it  says  to  me: 

II  By  and  by  birds  will  come  and  nest  in  me.  By  and 
by  I  will  furnish  shade  for  the  cattle.  By  and  by  I  will 
provide  warmth  for  the  home  in  the  pleasant  fire.  By  and 
by  I  will  be  shelter  from  the  storm  to  those  who  are 
under  the  roof.  By  and  by  I  will  be  the  strong  ribs 
of  a  great  vessel,  and  the  tempest  will  beat  against  me 
in  vain  while  I  carry  men  across  the  Atlantic." 

"  Oh,  foolish  little  acorn,  wilt  thou  be  all  this  ?  "  I  ask. 
And  the  little  acorn  answers:  "Yes;  God  and  I." 

Borrowing  Dr.  Abbott's  thought,  Dr.  J.  R. 
Miller  has  applied  it  to  a  little  child.  We  in 
turn  apply  it  to  the  missionary  possibilities  of 
a  little  child. 

I  look  into  the  face  of  a  company  of  little  children, 
and  I  hear  a  whisper,  saying: 

"  By  and  by  I  will  be  a  blessing  to  many.  By  and  by 
I  will  give  money  to  the  Lord  Jesus  for  His  work.  By 
and  by  I  will  teach  many  to  love  the  cause  of  missions. 

79 


HOLDING  THE  ROPES 


By  and  by  I  will  cross  the  ocean  to  carry  the  Gospel  to 
those  who  have  it  not.  By  and  by  I  will  turn  many  from 
worshiping  idols  to  serve  the  living  God.  By  and  by 
I  shall  finish  my  course  and  be  among  the  glorified  with 
my  Redeemer." 

"You,  frail,  powerless  little  one?"  I  ask. 
And   the   little   child    makes    answer :    "  Yes ;   Christ 
and  I." 

SOME  PRACTICAL  SUGGESTIONS 

The  responsibility  for  missionary  training  in 
the  home  lies,  of  course,  largely  with  the  parents, 
yet  it  has  frequently  devolved  upon  some  other 
member  of  the  household!.  Count  Zinzendorf, 
the  illustrious  "  father  of  modern  missions," 
owed  his  early  training  to  his  grandmother,  the 
gifted  and  pious  Baroness  von  Gersdorf,  while 
the  Earl  of  Shaftesbury,  the  staunch  advocate 
of  missions  both  at  home  and  abroad,  attributed 
his  first  interest  in  things  spiritual  to  his  devoted 
old  nurse,  Maria  Millis.  It  is,  however,  .the 
parents'  rightful  privilege,  and  those  who,  for 
any  reason,  allow  it  to  be  assumed  by  others, 
neglect  a  great  duty  and  miss  a  great  reward. 
"  Take  this  young  child  and  nurse  it  for  Me," 
is  a  command  laid  upon  every  Christian  parent's 
heart. 

The  creation  of  a  missionary  atmosphere  is  a 
80 


MISSIONARY  TRAINING  IN  THE  HOME 

matter  of  primary  importance.  A  child  reared 
in  a  home  where  missionary  books  and  maga- 
zines crowd  the  library  table,  where  missionary 
maps  and  pictures  adorn  the  walls,  and  where 
prayer  for  missions  is  daily  offered  at  the  family 
altar,  unconsciously  imbibes  the  missionary 
spirit,  even  tho  no  direct  influence  is  brought 
to  bear  upon  it.  "  I  have  always  believed  in 
missions,"  said  an  earnest  Christian  woman  not 
long  ago ;  "  it  would  have  been  impossible  for 
one  brought  up  in  our  home  to  do  otherwise." 

The  history  of  missions  furnishes  no  more 
beautiful  picture  of  early  missionary  training 
than  that  of  Mackay,  of  Uganda.  Both 
parents  were  deeply  interested  in  missions,  espe- 
cially in  Africa,  where  Livingstone  was  then 
making  his  great  explorations.  The  "  Proceed- 
ings of  the  Royal  Geographical  Society  "  came 
regularly  to  the  home,  and  the  works  of  Living- 
stone, Speke,  and  Grant  were  purchased  as  soon 
as  published.  On  a  map  in  the  study  the  father 
traced  with  his  boy  the  course  of  the  newly  dis- 
covered rivers,  and  explained  the  important  part 
missionaries  were  taking  in  the  opening  up  of 
the  great  continent. 

On  the  long  Sabbath  evenings,  when  the 
81 


HOLDING  THE  ROPES 


father  was  preaching  at  some  distant  kirk,  the 
mother  taught  the  boy.  The  lessons  were  from 
the  Bible  and  the  catechism.  If  they  had  been 
well  learned,  the  reward  was  a  thrilling  mission- 
ary story  that  filled  his  young  heart  with  mis- 
sionary zeal.  "  Would  you  like  me  to  go  to 
Africa,  mother?  "  he  asked  on  one  of  these 
memorable  occasions.  "  Not  unless  God  prepares 
you  for  it,  my  boy,"  was  her  reply ;  "  but  if  the 
call  comes,  see  that  you  do  not  neglect  it." 
Small  wonder  is  it  that  in  after  days  the  boy 
became,  to  borrow  Stanley's  phrase,  "  the  great- 
est missionary  since  Livingstone." 

Among  the  chief  delights  of  childhood  are 
stories,  games,  and  pictures.  These  should  be 
preempted  for  the  missionary  cause,  and  made 
to  do  duty  as  a  means  of  imparting  missionary 
inspiration  and  instruction. 

1.  Stories. — Missionary  literature  abounds 
in  fascinating  stories  of  strange  lands  and 
peoples,  and  thrilling  adventures  of  mission- 
aries among  them.  Little  children  will  sit  en- 
tranced while  such  stories  are  either  read  or 
told  to  them,  and  stories  heard  at  mother's 
knee  are  rarely,  if  ever,  forgotten.  With 
many  parents  the  problem  is  where  to  find 
82 


MISSIONARY  TRAINING  IN  THE  HOME 

suitable  material.  As  long  as  the  child  is  will- 
ing to  take  his  reading  second  hand,  the  solu- 
tion is  not  difficult,  for  almost  every  mission- 
ary magazine  and  book  contains  one  or  more 
stories  that  can  be  retold  in  language  suitable 
to  the  childish  comprehension.  But  at  the  age 
of  seven  or  eight,  when  the  average  American 
child  begins  to  evince  a  desire  to  read  for  itself, 
the  problem  grows  more  difficult,  for  there  are 
almost  no  missionary  books  suitable  for  begin- 
ners. Herein  lies  the  great  lack  in  missionary 
literature.  There  are,  of  course,  many  excellent 
children's  magazines  and  papers  which  should 
be  in  every  home,  but,  as  a  rule,  a  child  loves  a 
book  better  than  a  paper.  Twenty  years  ago 
there  was  a  similar  lack  in  secular  literature,  but 
in  recent  years  many  gifted  pens  have  been  at 
work,  and  there  is  now  a  long  list  of  most  at- 
tractive books  for  beginners  on  a  great  variety 
of  topics.  It  is  to  be  hoped  that  the  need  may 
soon  be  met  in  missionary  literature  also. 

Of  books  especially  attractive  to  children, 
"  The  Story  of  John  G.  Paton  "  undoubtedly 
heads  the  list.  One  little  lad,  whose  mother  ap- 
plied to  the  writer  for  a  book  to  interest  him  in 
missions,  was  so  delighted  with  it  that  he  insisted 


HOLDING  THE  ROPES 


on  hearing  all  of  it  twice,  and  begged  his  mother 
"  not  to  stop  reading  the  part  about  the  sinking 
of  the  well  until  he  had  heard  it  a  thousand 
times !  " 

Egerton  R.  Young's  "  On  the  Indian  Trail  " 
and  "My  Dogs  in  the  Northland,"  S.  M. 
and  A.  E.  Zwemer's  "  Topsy-Turvy  Land," 
and  Hannington's  "  Peril  and  Adventure  in 
Central  Africa,"  are  also  great  favorites. 
Hamlin's  "  My  Life  and  Times,"  Chamberlain's 
"In  the  Tiger  Jungle,"  and  "The  Cobra's 
Den,"  Hotchkiss'  "  Sketches  from  the  Dark 
Continent,"  Williams'  "  Missionary  Enterprises 
in  the  South  Sea  Islands,"  Gale's  "  Korean 
Sketches  "  and  "  Mackay  of  Uganda,"  by  his 
sister,  are  gold-mines  of  stories  attractive  to 
little  folks,  tho  they  also  include  much  that  is 
beyond  their  comprehension.  Tho  not  espe- 
cially missionary  in  character,  Carpenter's 
"  Geographical  Reader  of  Asia,"  Jane  Andrews' 
"  Seven  Little  Sisters,"  and  Isaac  Taylor  Head- 
land's "  Chinese  Mother  Goose  Rhymes  "  and 
"  The  Chinese  Boy  and  Girl,"  are  invaluable  in 
creating  an  interest  in  foreign  lands  and  peoples. 

2.  Games. — Playing  missionary  games  is  one 
of  the  best  ways  of  imparting  missionary  in- 
84 


MISSIONARY  TRAINING  IN  THE  HOME 

struction  in  the  home.  It  is  said  that  knowledge 
gained  in  play  is  more  easily  acquired  and 
longer  retained  than  that  gained  in  any  other 
way.  A  prominent  educator  declares  that  his 
whole  life  has  felt  the  impress  of  the  old  game 
of  "  Authors,"  played  in  his  childhood,  and 
attributes  to  it  much  of  his  love  for  books.  And 
many  a  student  of  the  Word  is  ready  to  testify  to 
having  gained  his  first  knowledge  of  Bible  char- 
acters through  the  Scripture  games  played  in  the 
home  circle  on  Sunday  afternoons.  Missionary 
games  similar  to  these  would  do  much  to  remedy 
the  woful  ignorance  which  prevails  concerning 
great  missionary  heroes  and  their  notable 
achievements.  Unfortunately  there  are  very 
few  missionary  games  available.  Simple  ones 
can,  however,  be  easily  made  at  home.1  In  the 
matter  of  both  books  and  games  English  so- 
cieties are  far  in  advance  of  our  own.  The 
Church  Missionary  Society  provides  a  fine  array 
of  printed  matter  for  little  people,  including 
missionary  alphabets,  painting-books,  and  pic- 
ture-books for  the  little  ones  in  the  nursery,  and 
missionary  lotto  and  other  games  for  those  who 
are  more  advanced. 

i  For  suggestions  along  this  line  see  Chapter  XI. 
85 


HOLDING  THE  ROPES 


ounce  of  picture  is  worth  a  ton  of  talk." 
This  is,  of  course,  a  mere  hyperbole,  yet  so 
great  is  the  influence  of  pictures  that  it  de- 
mands thoughtful  attention  from  all  parents 
who  seek  to  train  their  little  ones  aright.  Two 
illustrations  suffice  to  show  their  power.  Not 
long  ago  there  came  to  the  Home  of  the  Friend- 
less, in  one  of  our  Western  cities,  a  beautiful 
and  accomplished  girl,  brought  there  from  a 
Christian  home  of  wealth  and  refinement  by  her 
bent  and  broken-hearted  father.  When  the 
matron,  in  accordance  with  her  custom,  ques- 
tioned the  girl  concerning  the  cause  of  her 
downfall,  she  answered,  with  sobs  and  bitter 
tears :  "  It  was  a  picture,  a  nude  figure,  in  my 
father's  dining-room.  It  ruined  me  and  broke 
my  parents'  hearts." 

In  marked  contrast  to  this  sad  story  of  an 
impure  picture  that  so  terribly  wrecked  a  life, 
is  that  of  Count  Zinzendorf  and  the  Ecce  Homo 
of  Sternberg,  showing  the  power  of  a  pure  and 
noble  picture  to  uplift  a  soul.  In  1719  the 
young  count,  who  was  destined  by  his  uncle  for 
a  brilliant  social  career,  was  sent  on  a  tour  of 
foreign   travel   to   complete  his   education   and 

86 


MISSIONARY  TRAINING  IN  THE  HOME 

wean  him  from  his  devotion  to  the  service  of 
God.  It  was  a  time  of  testing;  but  as  the 
young  nobleman  stood  before  the  famous  paint- 
ing in  the  Dusscldorf  Gallery  and  gazed  into 
the  sad,  expressive  face  of  the  crucified  Re- 
deemer, he  renewed  his  consecration  vows  and 
returned  home  resolved  to  serve  God  as  never 
before. 

The  power  of  pictures  to  plant  a  missionary 
purpose  in  the  heart  of  a  child  is  shown  in  the 
lives  of  Duff,  of  India,  and  Richardson,  of 
Madagascar,  both  great  heroes  of  the  Cross. 
The  former  traced  his  first  desire  to  be  a  mis- 
sionary to  pictures  of  idols  shown  him  by  his 
father  at  the  age  of  four;  the  latter  to  a  pic- 
ture of  the  martyrdom  of  the  native  Christians 
of  Madagascar,  shown  him  by  his  teacher  at  the 
age  of  seven. 

The  wealth  of  pictures  that  make  our  present- 
day  books  and  magazines  so  attractive  consti- 
tute one  of  the  best  aids  to  the  study  of  mis- 
sions, and  are  a  great  delight  to  children.  They 
can  be  used  in  many  ways.  By  clipping  them 
and  pasting  them  in  an  ordinary  scrap-book, 
very  pretty  picture-books  can  be  made.  Those 
pictures  that  are  worthy  of  it  may  be  mounted 

87 


HOLDING  THE  ROPES 


on  cardboard  and  framed  in  narrow  molding  or 
passe  partout.  Especially  to  be  commended  are 
the  Orient  Pictures  issued  by  the  American  Bap- 
tist Missionary  Union.  Printed  on  heavy  paper, 
and  reproduced  from  the  best  missionary  photo- 
graphs available,  they  are  true  works  of  art, 
and  worthy  of  a  place  in  any  home.  Curios,  as 
well  as  pictures,  have  a  place  in  the  missionary 
training  of  the  young.  For  this  reason  a  mis- 
sionary museum  is  an  excellent  thing,  especially 
for  boys,  in  whom  the  collective  spirit  is  usually 
so  pronounced.  A  stamp  collection,  which 
brings  the  boy  in  touch  with  every  foreign  field, 
might  form  a  part  of  this. 

Hand  in  hand  with  missionary  instruction  in 
the  home  must  go  practical  training  in  mission- 
ary work.  If  the  child's  missionary  develop- 
ment is  to  be  complete,  it  must  be  early  taught  to 
give  its  pennies  to  the  Lord  Jesus  for  His  work, 
and  to  pray  for  the  children  of  foreign  lands 
and  the  missionaries  who  work  among  them. 
In  the  matter  of  giving,  American  mothers  may 
learn  a  lesson  from  their  Hawaiian  sisters.  In 
the  early  days  of  Christianity  in  the  islands  it 
was  the  custom  of  many  a  mother  to  put  a 
bright  coin  in  her  baby's  hand  and  hold  it  over 
88 


MISSIONARY  TRAINING  IN  THE  HOME 

the  contribution-box.  If  the  tiny  fingers  held 
on  to  the  shining  piece,  she  gently  shook  it  until 
it  fell,  with  a  merry  ring,  into  the  box  below. 
Thus  trained,  the  Hawaiians  became  noted  for 
their  liberality.  Surely  a  plan  that  worked  so 
well  will  bear  transplanting. 


89 


VI 

Ube  Missionary  Xibrarp 

HOW    TO    GET    IT    AND    HOW    TO    USE    IT 

The  rapid  growth  of  missionary  literature 
during  the  nineteenth  century  has  undoubtedly 
been  one  of  the  chief  factors  in  the  marvelous 
development  of  missionary  interest  in  recent 
years.  Information  has  been  the  key  of  in- 
terest, unlocking  hearts  and  pocketbooks,  send- 
ing missionaries  to  the  field,  and  causing  money 
to  pour  into  missionary  treasuries.  It  is  a  sig- 
nificant fact  that  the  missionary  society  in  Great 
Britain  (the  Church  Missionary  Society),  which 
expends  the  largest  sums  on  missionary  print- 
ing, has  also  the  largest  income  f  r  missionary 
work. 

During  the  first  eighteen  centuries  of  the 
Christian  era  the  literature  of  missions  was 
limited  indeed.  Dr.  Pierson  has  called  our  at- 
tention to  the  fact  that  when  Christ  gave  His 
last  command  there  was  not  one  Christian  book 
90 


THE  MISSIONARY  LIBRARY 

in  existence.  "  The  Church  had  no  literature 
for  nearly  a  century,  and  had  to  wait  fifteen  cen- 
turies for  a  printing-press  and  three  more  for 
any  missionary  literature  outside  of  the  Acts  of 
the  Apostles."  But  during  the  past  one  hun- 
dred years  so  many  gifted  pens  have  been  at 
work  that  there  is  now  a  vast  catalog  of  books 
on  missions,  that  are  intensely  interesting  and 
of  a  high  order  of  literary  merit.  To  make 
these  books  easy  of  access  to  the  Church,  and 
to  bring  individual  Christians  into  contact 
with  them,  is  the  purpose  of  the  missionary 
library. 

HOW  TO   SECURE  A  LIBRARY 

Missionary  books,  tho  well  printed,  attract- 
ively bound,  and  finely  illustrated,  are,  as  a 
rule,  so  inexpensive  that  no  church  need  be  with- 
out at  least  a  small  missionary  library.  Even 
churches  in  remote  rural  districts  may,  through 
well-directed  effort,  come  into  the  possession  of 
enough  books  to  assist  in  preparing  programs 
and  make  possible  the  formation  of  a  study- 
class  or  reading-circle. 

The  best  way  to  introduce  the  subject  is  to 
devote  an  evening  to  the  importance  of  mission- 

91 


HOLDING  THE  ROPES 


ary  reading  and  the  corresponding  need  of  a 
library.  Call  it  "  An  Evening  with  Missionary 
Books,"  and  make  the  program  as  bright  and 
attractive  as  possible.  Have  some  one  give  "  A 
Chat  About  Missionary  Books,"  conduct  an 
open  parliament  on  "  The  Most  Interesting  Mis- 
sionary Book,"  and  have  selections  read  from 
some  of  the  most  famous  books. 

Having  thus  introduced  the  subject,  the  next 
step  is  to  secure  the  books.  There  are  several 
methods  of  doing  this,  each  of  which  has  proved 
successful  in  many  churches: 

1.  Start  a  subscription  paper  and  ask  for 
contributions  of  money  in  sums  ranging  from 
five  cents  upward. 

2.  Make  a  list  of  all  the  books  desired,  with 
the  price  of  each,  and  canvass  the  congregation 
for  persons  willing  to  donate  one  volume. 
Strange  to  say,  many  who  would  refuse  money 
will  readily  agree  to  buy  a  book.  In  some 
churches  the  desired  result  has  been  obtained  by 
printing  the  list  in  the  church  calendar  or  pub- 
lishing it  on  a  bulletin-board.  It  is  a  good  plan 
to  ask  the  donors  of  the  books  to  read  them  be- 
fore putting  them  in  the  library. 

3.  A  Christian  Endeavor  society  in  one  of 

92 


THE  MISSIONARY  LIBRARY 

the  larger  cities  secured  a  fine  library  by  giving 
a  book  social.  The  missionary  committee  wrote 
to  a  prominent  publishing  house,  and  asked 
them  to  send  a  selection  of  their  best  missionary 
books  on  approval.  At  the  social  these  books 
were  put  upon  a  table,  and  the  members  of  the 
society  were  urged  to  examine  them  and  buy 
the  most  attractive  ones  for  the  library. 

4.  Another  plan  is  to  ask  some  one  person  in 
the  church  to  give  the  library.  Another  is  to 
devote  part  of  the  regular  funds  of  the  society 
to  the  purpose.  These  are  undoubtedly  the 
easiest  ways,  but  probably  not  the  best.  On  the 
principle  that  people  care  most  for  what  costs 
them  something,  interest  in  a  library  given  by 
many  will  be  far  greater  than  in  one  given  by 
an  individual  or  by  the  society  as  a  whole. 

5.  In  churches  where  it  seems  impossible  to 
get  either  money  or  books,  it  is  a  good  plan  to 
ask  those  who  have  missionary  books  in  their 
own  libraries  either  to  lend  them  for  a  limited 
time  or  give  them  outright.  In  this  way  the 
nucleus  of  a  library  may  be  formed  that  will  in 
time  lead  to  better  things. 

Having  obtained  the  library,  it  is  important 
to  keep  it  up  to  date  by  the  addition  of  bright 

93 


HOLDING  THE  ROPES 


new  books  as  they  are  issued  from  the  press; 
otherwise  interest  in  it  will  lag.  In  some  so- 
cieties a  fund  for  this  purpose  is  created  by 
charging  five  cents  for  each  book  read  and  a 
fine  of  a  cent  a  day  for  each  book  overdue. 

THE    KIND    OF    BOOKS    TO    BUY 

Great  care  must  be  exercised  in  selecting  books 
for  the  library,  especially  when  they  must  be 
limited  in  number.  Books  suitable  for  the  pur- 
pose may  be  broadly  divided  into  six  classes, 
each  of  which  should  be  represented  by  one  or 
more  volumes : 

1.  Books  on  methods  of  work  for  the  mission- 
ary committee.  There  are  now  a  number  of 
small  and  inexpensive  ones  that  are  almost  in- 
dispensable to  the  missionary  worker. 

2.  Historical  books,  such  as  Barnes'  "  Two 
Thousand  Years  of  Missions  Before  Carey " 
and  Leonard's  "  A  Hundred  Years  of  Missions." 
Besides  these  the  library  should  contain  a  his- 
tory of  missions  in  its  own  denomination,  such 
as  Speer's  "  Presbyterian  Foreign  Missions,"  or 
Merriam's  "  A  History  of  American  Baptist 
Missions." 

3.  Biographies  of  great  missionaries.     Since 

94 


THE  MISSIONARY  LIBRARY 

this  is  the  most  fruitful  of  all  missionary  litera- 
ture, it  should  be  largely  represented  in  the 
library.  At  the  head  of  the  list  all  will  prob- 
ably unite  in  placing  Paton's  matchless  volumes, 
tho  Blakie's  "  Personal  Life  of  David  Living- 
stone," Hamlin's  "  My  Life  and  Times,"  Griffis' 
"  Verbeck,  of  Japan,"  and  many  others,  are 
scarcely  less  popular.  Bryan's  "  Life  of  John 
Kenneth  Mackenzie  "  has  a  double  value,  giving 
not  only  the  story  of  a  great  life,  but  also  vivid 
pictures  of  medical  missionary  work  in  China. 

4.  Books  descriptive  of  foreign  lands  and 
people.  These  include  such  delightful  books  as 
Gale's  "  Korean  Sketches,"  Denning's  "  Mosaics 
from  India,"  and  Smith's  "  Chinese  Character- 
istics." Under  this  head,  too,  come  books  of 
travel.  These  must  be  chosen  with  special  care, 
for  many  of  them  give  wrong  impressions  of 
missionary  work  and  incorrect  information  about 
missionary  lands.  Some  of  them,  however,  are 
perfectly  reliable  and  much  too  valuable  to  be 
omitted.  It  was  Cook's  "  Voyages,"  an  early 
book  of  travels,  that  fed  Carey's  missionary  im- 
pulse and  inspired  the  great  wave  of  interest 
throughout  Great  Britain  that  culminated  in 
the  rjurehase  of  the  Duff,  and  the  sending  out 
95 


HOLDING  THE  ROPES 


of  the  first  band  of  missionaries  to  the  South 
Seas  in  1796. 

5.  Stories  of  missionary  work  in  heathen 
lands.  These  are  often  as  fascinating  as  the 
most  romantic  fiction.  They  include  such 
thrilling  books  as  Young's  "  On  the  Indian 
Trail,"  Pierson's  "  Miracles  of  Missions,"  and 
Chamberlain's  "  In  the  Tiger  Jungle "  and 
"  The  Cobra's  Den." 

6.  Books  of  missionary  fiction  founded  upon 
fact.  These  are  invaluable,  appealing  to  a 
class  of  readers  that  nothing  else  will  touch. 
"  The  Bishop's  Conversion,"  "  The  Sign  of  the 
Cross  in  Madagascar,"  "  A  Chinese  Quaker," 
and  others  of  a  similar  character  undoubtedly 
have  a  great  mission  to  perform. 

Two  classes  of  books  it  would  be  well  to  avoid : 
large  and  expensive  volumes  that  are  of  value 
mainly  to  specialists,  and  old  and  uninteresting 
books  that  are  of  little  use  to  anybody.  Because 
a  book  is  old,  however,  it  is  not  necessarily  un- 
interesting. "  Missionary  Enterprises  in  the 
South  Sea  Islands  "  was  written  by  John  Will- 
iams three-quarters  of  a  century  ago,  yet  few 
books  of  recent  date  surpass  it  in  interest. 


96 


THE  MISSIONARY  LIBRARY 

HOW   TO    USE   THE   LIBRARY 

The  first  requisite  to  a  well-managed  library 
is  a  good  librarian,  upon  whose  energy  and  en- 
thusiasm much  of  its  success  depends.  The 
ideal  librarian  should  be  thoroughly  interested 
in  missions  and  well  acquainted  with  missionary 
books,  willing  to  assist  those  in  search  of  ma- 
terial for  papers  and  talks,  and  able  to  suggest 
books  to  individual  readers  suited  to  their  taste 
and  likely  to  win  their  attention. 

The  library  should  be  kept  in  a  prominent 
place,  easy  of  access  to  all,  either  on  a  shelf  or 
in  a  case  without  doors,  so  that  the  books  can 
be  examined  and  taken  out  at  pleasure.  If  the 
case  has  doors,  either  keep  them  unlocked  or 
take  them  off  altogether.  This  may  occasion- 
ally result  in  the  loss  of  a  book,  but  it  is  better 
to  lose  a  few  books  than  to  bury  them  in  a 
closed  case  where  they  are  seldom  or  never 
used. 

But  while  it  is  wise  to  make  the  books  easy  of 
access,  strict  rules  should  be  made  requiring  them 
to  be  returned  within  a  given  time — say,  two 
weeks,  as  in  other  libraries,  with  a  possible  ex- 
tension, provided  no  one  is  waiting  for  the  book. 
97 


HOLDING  THE  ROPES 


All  books  should  be  marked  with  the  name  of  the 
church  or  society,  and  a  careful  record  kept  of 
the  dates  on  which  they  are  taken  out  and  the 
name  of  the  person  taking  them. 

The  books  should  be  kept  uncovered — at  least 
until  the  bindings  become  worn  and  unsightly 
from  use.  On  this  point  Mr.  Harlan  P.  Beach 
says :  "  I  have  learned  from  our  college  work 
that  it  is  not  best  to  cover  missionary  books.  If 
you  cover  them  you  put  a  coffin  around  them, 
and  that  is  the  end  of  them." 

Having  secured  the  library  and  put  it  in  good 
running  order,  the  next  problem  is  how  to  get 
the  books  read.  The  old  adage,  "  You  may 
take  a  horse  to  water,  but  you  can't  make  him 
drink,"  finds  its  parallel  in  the  missionary  com- 
mittee that  leads  a  society  up  to  a  well-filled 
case  of  attractive  books,  but  can  not  induce  any 
one  to  read  them. 

But  such  a  committee  need  not  despair.  Ex- 
perience proves  that  by  persistent  effort  and  the 
use  of  tactful  methods  an  appetite  for  mission- 
ary literature  can  be  created  that  will  make  the 
books  in  demand.  The  results  that  follow  are 
so  great  and  so  lasting  as  to  be  worth  all  the 
effort  expended.  "  One  good  missionary  book 
98 


THE  MISSIONARY  LIBRARY 

carefully  read,"  says  a  wise  worker,  "  is  of  more 
permanent  value  than  a  dozen  speeches." 

The  first  thing  for  the  missionary  committee 
to  do  is  to  set  a  good  example  by  reading  the 
books  themselves.  Otherwise,  as  Professor 
Amos  R.  Wells  wittily  says,  "  they  will  be  in 
the  position  of  a  bald-headed  man  selling  a  hair- 
restorer  !  "  Having  faithfully  taken  this  first 
step,  the  committee  will  be  in  a  position  to  put 
into  execution  some  of  the  schemes  devised  by 
missionary  workers  to  induce  people  to  read. 
Here  are  a  dozen  plans,  each  of  which  has  been 
tried  with  good  success : 

1.  When  planning  programs  for  the  meet- 
ings, provide  a  number  of  topics  that  necessitate 
the  use  of  missionary  books.  In  assigning  these 
to  the  members  of  the  society,  furnish  with  them 
a  list  of  references  to  books  in  the  library  where 
suitable  material  may  be  found. 

2.  Print  lists  of  all  the  interesting  missionary 
books  available,  not  only  in  the  missionary  li- 
brary, but  in  the  Sunday-school  and  public 
libraries  as  well,  and  distribute  them  among  the 
young  people.  Then  ask  them  to  pledge  them- 
selves to  read  a  given  number  in  a  given  time 
— one  a  month,  four  a  year,  or  two  during  the 

99 


HOLDING  THE  ROPES 


summer  vacation.  It  will  add  to  the  interest  to 
keep  a  record  of  all  the  books  read,  either  in  a 
blank-book  or  on  a  sheet  of  cardboard  hanging 
on  the  wall. 

3.  Make  short,  bright  book  reviews  or  book 
summaries  a  feature  of  the  program,  and  when 
new  books  are  added  to  the  library,  give  "  book 
notices "  of  them,  calling  attention  to  their 
most  attractive  features. 

4.  Professor  Wells  makes  the  following  good 
suggestion :  "  Have  a  bold  placard  staring 
people  in  the  face  in  the  prayer-meeting  room, 
bearing  on  it  the  words,  '  Have  you  read  "  The 
Cobra's  Den  "  ?  '  or  whatever  book  it  is  desired 
to  push  at  the  time." 

5.  At  the  close  of  some  missionary  meeting, 
or  at  a  missionary  social,  put  all  the  books 
in  the  library  on  a  table  and  ask  those  present 
to  examine  them.  Turning  the  leaves  and  look- 
ing at  the  pictures  will  often  lead  people  to  read 
the  books. 

6.  Organize  a  missionary  reading-circle  to 
meet  successively  at  different  houses  for  the  pur- 
pose of  reading  aloud  some  interesting  book. 
This  is  an  excellent  way  to  develop  a  taste  for 
missionary    literature.     So    also   is   the    study- 

100 


THE  MISSIONARY  LIBRARY 

class,  which  provides  for  the  thorough  study  of 
one  book,  and  necessitates  frequent  reference  to 
others. 

7.  Have  selections  from  the  most  popular 
books  read  at  missionary  meetings  and  mission- 
ary socials.  Nowhere  can  better  material  for 
the  missionary  elocutionist  be  found  than  here. 
For  the  missionary  meeting  the  following  selec- 
tions would  be  both  entertaining  and  appro- 
priate : 

"The  Sinking  of  the  Well,"  from  "The  Story  of 
John  G.  Paton." 

"  God  on  the  Rock,"  from  "  On  the  Indian  Trail." 

"  In  the  Tiger  Jungle,"  from  Jacob  Chamberlain's  well- 
known  book. 

"  A  Sabbath-keeping  Baker,"  from  "  My  Life  and 
Times." 

"A  Life  for  a  Life,"  from  "The  Apostle  of  the 
North,  James  Evans." 

"  The  Search  for  a  Word,"  from  "  Sketches  from  the 
Dark  Continent." 

"  A  Snow-bound  Christmas,"  from  "  Recollections  of 
a  Missionary  in  the  Great  West." 

For  a  missionary  social,  nothing  could  be 
more  entertaining  or  mirth-provoking  than  such 
readings  as 

"The  Korean  Boy,"  from  "Korean  Sketches." 
101 


HOLDING  THE  ROPES 


"  Nelwang's   Elopement,"   from   "  The   Story  of  John 

G.  Paton." 

"  The  Spotted  Tiger  Foiled,"  from  "  The  Cobra's  Den." 
"  Mackay      as      Undertaker,"      from      "  Mackay,      of 

Uganda,"  by  his  sister. 


8.  For  some  missionary  meeting  select  three 
books,  and  ask  three  persons  each  to  read  one 
of  them  and  come  prepared  to  relate  the  most 
thrilling  experience  recorded  in  it.  For  another 
meeting  ask  five  persons  to  read  five  biographies 
and  give  the  strongest  lessons  to  be  learned  from 
them.  Or  have  ten  persons  read  ten  books  and 
give  an  instance  of  answered  prayer  recorded  in 
each.  Still  another  plan  is  to  assign  each  chap- 
ter of  a  book  to  a  different  person  and  have  it 
reviewed  as  a  serial,  each  person  giving  the  gist 
of  a  chapter. 

9.  Many  who  would  refuse  to  read  an  entire 
book  can  be  induced  to  read  portions  of  one. 
For  this  purpose  keep  a  list  of  references  to 
books  in  which  interesting  chapters  and  para- 
graphs can  be  found. 

10.  The  pastor  can  do  much  to  promote  mis- 
sionary reading  by  suggesting  interesting  books 
to  be  read.  It  was  the  custom  of  Dr.  Arthur 
Mitchell  to  take  a  book  and  read  it  and  master 

102 


THE  MISSIONARY  LIBRARY 

it,  and  then  give  his  people  the  most  striking 
incidents  in  it,  clothing  them  in  his  own  lan- 
guage. The  result  was  that  his  people  were 
filled  with  missionary  zeal,  and  each  church  he 
served  as  pastor  became  a  leader  in  missionary 
work. 

11.  Distributing  the  following  questions 
among  the  young  people,  or  discussing  them  at 
some  meeting,  will  reveal  to  them  how  much 
time  they  devote  to  works  of  fiction  and  how 
little  to  books  on  missions,  and  perhaps  induce 
them  to  pursue  a  better  course: 

How  many  novels  have  you  read?  How  many  mis- 
sionary books? 

What  novel  did  you  read  last?  What  missionary 
book? 

What  novel  do  you  expect  to  read  next?  What  mis- 
sionary book? 

12.  The  "  Unanimous  Library  "  scheme  de- 
vised by  Mr.  W.  L.  Amerman,  of  New  York 
City,  is  an  excellent  one  that  could  be  used  to 
advantage  everywhere.  The  idea  is  for  each 
society  to  buy  a  book  (for  obvious  reasons  it  is 
best  to  select  a  small  one),  with  the  understand- 
ing that  it  is  to  be  read  by  every  member  of  the 
society.     In    order   to    "  make    it    unanimous," 

103 


HOLDING  THE  ROPES 


some  are  induced  to  read  it  who  would  not  other- 
wise do  so.  In  pursuance  of  this  plan  a  large 
number  of  Christian  Endeavor  societies  in  the 
New  York  City  Union  bought  a  little  library  of 
four  small  books  and  endeavored  to  get  them 
read  by  all  their  members.  The  results  were 
surprising.  In  one  church  where  there  were 
three  societies  (junior,  intermediate,  and  senior) 
one  book  was  read  by  four  hundred  and  thirty- 
eight  different  persons  within  a  given  time. 

UTILIZING   THE   PUBLIC    LIBRARY 

If  a  free  public  library  is  accessible,  the  ma- 
terial in  it  should  be  utilized.  The  number  of 
volumes  on  strictly  missionary  topics  is  usually 
somewhat  limited  in  public  libraries,  but  the  de- 
partments of  history,  biography,  travel,  eth- 
nology, and  sociology  contain  a  great  wealth  of 
material  that  is  invaluable  to  the  student  of  mis- 
sions. In  most  libraries  this  material  is  little 
used,  largely  because  it  is  unknown. 

By  concerted  action  on  the  part  of  the  mis- 
sionary workers  of  any  community,  the  quantity 
of  missionary  literature  in  the  public  library 
may  be  considerably  enlarged  and  its  circulation 
greatly  increased.     Here  are  some  of  the  privi- 

104 


THE  MISSIONARY  LIBRARY 

leges  which  have  been  sought  and  obtained  in 
many  large  libraries  that  might  be  secured  by 
missionary  workers  everywhere: 

1.  A  special  catalog  of  all  the  books  bear- 
ing directly  or  indirectly  on  the  subject  of  mis- 
sions. 

2.  The  massing  of  all  books  bearing  on  mis- 
sions in  a  special  alcove — temporarily,  if  not 
permanently. 

3.  One  or  more  shelves  devoted  to  strictly 
missionary  books. 

4.  The  addition  of  new  books,  from  time  to 
time,  recommended  by  missionary  workers  and 
needed  by  them  for  special  work. 

5.  A  special  rack  in  the  reading-room,  upon 
which  current  numbers  of  the  leading  missionary 
magazines  may  be  found. 

In  many  States  there  is  now  a  well-developed 
system  of  traveling  libraries,  by  means  of  which 
a  good  assortment  of  books  may  be  obtained  for 
the, cost  of  transportation.  These  libraries,  too, 
should  be  utilized  by  missionary  workers,  espe- 
cially in  localities  where  there  is  no  public  li- 
brary and  the  books  accessible  are  limited  in 
number. 


105 


VII 

XTbe  iTOMsston  Stufcs  Class 

There  are  three  ways  of  diffusing  missionary 
information  in  use  at  the  present  time — the  mis- 
sionary meeting,  the  reading  circle,  and  the 
study  class ;  and  the  greatest  of  these  is  the 
study  class. 

The  missionary  meeting  is,  and  ever  will  be, 
the  best  agency  for  reaching  large  numbers  and 
sowing  broadcast  the  seeds  of  missionary  enthu- 
siasm. But  the  information  presented  is,  al- 
most of  necessity,  fragmentary  and  incomplete, 
and  so  little  in  the  way  of  individual  effort  is 
called  forth  that  the  knowledge  gained  is  likely 
to  be  the  acquisition  of  the  few  who  take  part 
rather  than  of  the  society  as  a  whole.  The  read- 
ing.circle  is,  in  some  respects,  better  than  the  mis- 
sionary meeting,  but  it  is  defective  in  that  it 
requires  but  little  exercise  of  the  mental  facul- 
ties, and  fails  to  stimulate  individual  research. 
The  knowledge  gained  is  rarely  a  permanent 
acquisition;  like  all  desultory  reading,  it  seldom 

106 


THE    MISSION   STUDY   CLASS 

makes  a  lasting  impression  on  the  mind.  The 
study  class  stands  preeminent  in  that  it  requires 
systematic  study  on  the  part  of  every  member  of 
the  class.  Its  great  value  lies  in  the  fact  that 
it  possesses  the  rare  quality  of  producing  mis- 
sionary leaders.  Some  one  has  called  it  the 
"  best  of  all  manufactories  of  missionary  work- 
ers," and  such,  indeed,  it  has  proved  wherever  it 
has  been  tried  under  favorable  circumstances. 
The  quantity  of  seed  sown  is  not  so  great  as  in 
the  missionary  meeting,  but  a  larger  proportion 
bears  fruit.  If  a  church  lacks  missionary  lead- 
ers— and  where  is  the  church  that  does  not  ? — the 
best  remedy  is  to  organize  a  study  class,  not  to 
take  the  place  of  the  missionary  meeting,  but  to 
supplement  it,  very  much  as  classes  for  Bible 
study  supplement  the  devotional  meeting  and  the 
public  preaching  of  the  Word. 

THE    ORIGIN    OF    THE    MISSION    STUDY    CLASS 

The  mission  study  class,  in  its  present  form, 
is  of  comparatively  recent  origin.  In  reality, 
however,  it  dates  back  to  the  students  of  Andover 
College,  nearly  a  century  ago,  who,  stimulated 
by  the  Haystack  Heroes,  made  the  study  of  mis- 
sions   a   prominent   feature   of   their  meetings. 

107 


HOLDING  THE  ROPES 


Their  example  was  followed,  to  a  limited  extent, 
by  students  in  other  colleges  throughout  the  cen- 
tury.  After  the  organization  of  the  Intercol- 
legiate Young  Men's  Christian  Association  the 
idea  became  more  prominent,  and  in  the  year 
1891  an  impetus  was  given  to  it  .by  the  pub- 
lication of  a  series  of  outline  mission  studies  in 
the  organ  of  the  association. 

The  honor  of  establishing  organized  work  in 
systematic  mission  study  belongs,  however,  to 
the  Student  Volunteer  Movement.  In  February, 
1893,  when  the  Student  Volunteer,  the  organ  of 
the  movement,  was  first  issued,  a  series  of  foreign 
mission  studies  was  begun,  and  the  formation  of 
classes  in  every  college  urged.  A  year  later, 
the  outline  system  having  proved  unsatisfactory, 
the  use  of  text-books  was  adopted,  and  the 
office  of  educational  secretary  created.  Since 
1895  this  office  has  been  filled  with  rare  ability 
by  the  Rev.  Harlan  P.  Beach,  formerly  a  mis- 
sionary to  China.  The  growth  of  the  work  in 
ten  years  has  been  phenomenal.  Twenty-six 
courses  of  study  have  been  prepared,  and  mis- 
sionary libraries,  costing  tens  of  thousands  of 
dollars,  have  been  introduced  into  the  colleges. 
An  average  of  five  thousand  students  a  year 
108 


THE   MISSION   STUDY   CLASS 

have  been  enrolled  in  study  classes,  and  text- 
books have  been  called  for  at  the  rate  of  ten 
thousand  copies  a  year.  The  result  has  been 
not  only  the  volunteering  of  a  considerable  num- 
ber of  young  men  and  women,  but  an  increased 
intelligence  in  missions  on  the  part  of  can- 
didates offering  themselves  to  the  various 
Boards. 

The  great  success  achieved  among  the  students 
led  to  the  adoption  of  systematic  mission  study 
by  several  denominations,  the  text-books  being 
those  of  the  Student  Volunteer  Movement,  with 
special  denominational  features  added.  Next 
the  women  took  it  up,  and  at  a  conference  of  all 
the  Women's  Boards  of  the  United  States  and 
Canada,  the  course  for  women's  societies,  known 
as  the  "  United  Study  of  Missions,"  was  decided 
upon.  The  sale  of  more  than  fifty  thousand 
copies  of  the  first  two  text-books  of  the  series 
speaks  eloquently  of  the  favor  with  which  they 
have  been  received.  Early  in  1902  the  Young 
People's  Missionary  Movement  fell  into  line,  and 
announced  a  series  of  text-books  for  young  peo- 
ple, to  be  known  as  the  "  Forward  Mission  Study 
Courses."  Stimulated  by  the  Silver  Bay  Con- 
ferences of  1902  and  1903,  and  pushed  by  the 
109 


HOLDING  THE  ROPES 


denominational  boards,  the  work  is  growing  with 
great  rapidity.  During  the  first  year  ten  thou- 
sand young  people  were  enrolled  in  classes,  and 
the  next  year,  within  two  months  of  its  publica- 
tion Mr.  Beach's  biographical  text-book  on 
China  reached  a  sale  of  nearly  twenty  thousand 
copies.  Such  a  vast  army  of  students,  young 
people,  and  women,  concentrating  time  and 
thought  on  mission  study,  certainly  argues  well 
for  the  future.  Gratifying  reports  of  increased 
interest  and  enlarged  giving  are  already  coming 
in,  and  should  the  work  continue  it  will  un- 
doubtedly usher  in  one  of  the  greatest  revivals  of 
missionary  enthusiasm  in  the  history  of  the 
Church. 

STEPS    PRELIMINARY    TO    ORGANIZATION 

In  organizing  a  mission  study  class,  especially 
where  such  work  is  attempted  for  the  first  time, 
there  are  many  points  which  should  be  thor- 
oughly discussed  by  the  committee  in  charge  be- 
fore the  matter  is  publicly  announced. 

Time.     Experience  proves  that  it  is  unwise  to 

combine  the  study  class  with  any  other  meeting. 

Wherever  possible,  a  separate  session  of  from 

sixty  to  ninety  minutes  should  be  devoted  to  it, 

110 


THE   MISSION   STUDY   CLASS 

the  day  and  hour  to  be  determined  by  local  con- 
ditions. The  result  will  be  smaller  classes,  but 
more  efficient  work.  The  sessions  should  be  held 
weekly  until  the  completion  of  the  course,  rather 
than  fortnightly  or  monthly.  This  brings  them 
close  enough  together  to  sustain  the  interest,  yet 
far  enough  apart  to  admit  of  thorough  prep- 
aration. It  will  be  found  easier  to  secure  mem- 
bers for  a  class  that  meets  once  a  week  for  a 
brief  period  than  for  one  that  meets  once  a 
month  during  a  large  part  of  a  year. 

The  separate  session,  held  weekly,  tho  emi- 
nently desirable,  is  not  absolutely  essential  to 
success,  and  no  society  should  give  up  the  idea  of 
organizing  a  class  because  ideal  conditions  can 
not  be  secured.  The  Advance  Club  of  Rockf  ord, 
111.,  an  undenominational  association  of  Chris- 
tian women,  organized  for  missionary  study,  has 
achieved  magnificent  success  with  meetings  held 
once  a  fortnight,  and  many  a  woman's  society 
has  done  good  work  by  devoting  six  of  the  regu- 
lar monthly  meetings  of  the  year  to  the  United 
Study  of  Missions  lessons.  Witness  also  the 
notable  work  accomplished  by  the  Baptist 
Young  People's  Union  through  the  use  of  the 
Conquest  Missionary  Courses,  which  provide 
111 


HOLDING  THE  ROPES 


twelve  lessons  a  year,  to  be  used  once  a  month  at 
the  regular  meeting  of  the  young  people's  so- 
ciety. Good  work  has  also  been  done  in  a  few  in- 
stances by  devoting  the  church  prayer-meeting 
or  the  young  people's  meeting  to  the  work  for  a 
period  of  six  or  eight  consecutive  or  alternate 
weeks. 

Place.  The  place  of  meeting  can  best  be  de- 
termined by  the  size  and  character  of  the  class. 
For  small  classes  a  private  house,  centrally  lo- 
cated, is  undoubtedly  best.  For  large  classes  the 
church  is  better,  especially  if  a  well-lighted,  well- 
ventilated  room  is  available.  If  possible,  the 
class  should  be  seated  around  tables  to  facilitate 
the  taking  of  notes. 

Membership.  If  the  class  is  too  large,  actual 
study  is  next  to  impossible.  Experts  declare 
that  the  enrolment  should  never  exceed  ten  or 
twelve,  and  that  if  more  apply,  it  is  better  to 
start  another  class.  Some  of  the  most  successful 
classes  have  had  from  three  to  five  members  only. 
It  is  well  to  remember  that  quality  is  better  than 
quantity,  and  admit  only  those  who  are  thor- 
oughly in  earnest.  It  is  a  fatal  mistake  to  urge 
any  one  to  join  on  the  plea  that  little  or  no 
work  will  be  required.  In  order  that  the  nature 
112 


THE   MISSION   STUDY   CLASS 

of  the  class  and  the  requirements  of  membership 
may  be  fully  understood,  some  pledge,  such  as 
the  following,  may  be  used: 

1.  I  will  be  present  at  every  meeting  of  the  class,  unless 
prevented  by  unforeseen  circumstances. 

2.  I  will  secure  a  copy  of  the  text-book  to  be  used. 

3.  I    will    endeavor    to    devote    not    less    than    

minutes  to  the  study  of  each  lesson. 

4.  I  will  prepare  the  special  work  assigned  me  to  the 
best  of  my  ability. 

5.  I  will  pray  daily  for  the  spread  of  Christ's  King- 
dom in  the  earth. 

The  Leader.  One  thing  essential  to  success- 
ful study-class  work  is  a  competent  leader.  The 
necessary  qualifications  for  this  all-important 
office  are  three: 

1.  A  deep  and  abiding  interest  in  missions. 
"  Let  him  who  would  move  and  convince  others," 
says  Carlyle,  "  be  first  moved  and  convinced 
himself." 

2.  Ability  to  teach,  rather  than  to  lecture. 
The  class  will  profit  by  the  work  in  direct  pro- 
portion to  their  own  intellectual  effort. 

3.  Willingness  to  devote  time  to  thf  necessary 
study.  An  extended  knowledge  of  missionary 
history  and  a  wide  acquaintance  with  missionary 
literature  are  not  essential,  but  a  good  leader 

113 


HOLDING  THE  ROPES 


must  have  a  thorough  knowledge  of  the  text- 
book chosen.  To  give  opportunity  for  thor- 
ough preparation,  both  text-book  and  leader 
should  be  chosen  long  in  advance  of  the  organi- 
zation of  the  class. 

The  question  of  leadership  is  often  a  perplex- 
ing one.  A  common  error  is  that  of  asking  the 
pastor  or  some  prominent  church  official  who  is 
not  specially  qualified  for  the  work  to  undertake 
it.  No  matter  how  broad  his  previous  knowledge 
of  missions,  unless  the  leader  has  teaching  ability 
and  time  to  master  the  text-book,  the  result  will 
be  a  lamentable  failure. 

Course  of  Study.  For  beginners  in  syste- 
matic mission  study  a  text-book  should  invari- 
ably be  used.  The  lists  of  questions,  references 
to  other  literature,  and  outlines  of  study  which 
they  furnish  simplify  the  work  both  for  teacher 
and  class.  With  experienced  leaders  and  ma- 
ture classes,  especially  those  having  access  to 
large  libraries,  a  syllabus  may  be  used  instead  of 
a  text-book.  Excellent  text-books  have  been 
prepared  by  the  Student  Volunteers,  the 
Women's  United  Study  Committee,  and  the 
Young  People's  Forward  Mission  Study  Com- 
mittee. These  treat  of  great  mission  fields,  great 
114 


THE   MISSION   STUDY   CLASS 

missionaries,  periods  of  missionary  history, 
medical  missions,  and  other  phases  of  missionary 
work  at  home  and  abroad. 

With  such  a  wealth  of  text-books  available, 
many  classes  will  be  perplexed  to  know  how  to 
make  a  wise  selection.  For  those  who  have  never 
before  attempted  systematic  mission  study,  a 
short  biographical  course,  such  as  Beach's 
"  Knights  of  the  Labarum,"  or  Taylor's  "  Price 
of  Africa,"  is  by  far  the  best.  These  are  less 
difficult  and  take  less  time  than  the  study  of  a 
mission  field  or  a  period  of  missionary  history, 
and  require  no  previous  knowledge  to  make  them 
interesting.  Biography  is  the  most  fruitful 
of  all  missionary  literature  and  is  calcu- 
lated to  develop  interest  and  arouse  enthusi- 
asm more  quickly  than  any  other  form  of 
study. 

ORGANIZING  THE  CLASS 

Having  fully  discussed  the  foregoing  points, 
the  next  step  is  to  secure  members  for  the  class. 
Perhaps  the  best  way  to  do  this  is  by  personal 
invitation  to  those  who  give  large  promise  of 
future  usefulness.  Another  way  is  to  devote  one 
session  of  the  young  people's  society  to  a  mis- 
115 


HOLDING  THE  ROPES 


twelve  lessons  a  year,  to  be  used  once  a  month  at 
the  regular  meeting  of  the  young  people's  so- 
ciety. Good  work  has  also  been  done  in  a  few  in- 
stances by  devoting  the  church  prayer-meeting 
or  the  young  people's  meeting  to  the  work  for  a 
period  of  six  or  eight  consecutive  or  alternate 
weeks. 

Place.  The  place  of  meeting  can  best  be  de- 
termined by  the  size  and  character  of  the  class. 
For  small  classes  a  private  house,  centrally  lo- 
cated, is  undoubtedly  best.  For  large  classes  the 
church  is  better,  especially  if  a  well-lighted,  well- 
ventilated  room  is  available.  If  possible,  the 
class  should  be  seated  around  tables  to  facilitate 
the  taking  of  notes. 

Membership.  If  the  class  is  too  large,  actual 
study  is  next  to  impossible.  Experts  declare 
that  the  enrolment  should  never  exceed  ten  or 
twelve,  and  that  if  more  apply,  it  is  better  to 
start  another  class.  Some  of  the  most  successful 
classes  have  had  from  three  to  five  members  only. 
It  is  well  to  remember  that  quality  is  better  than 
quantity,  and  admit  only  those  who  are  thor- 
oughly in  earnest.  It  is  a  fatal  mistake  to  urge 
any  one  to  join  on  the  plea  that  little  or  no 
work  will  be  required.     In  order  that  the  nature 

112 


THE   MISSION   STUDY   CLASS 

of  the  class  and  the  requirements  of  membership 
may  be  fully  understood,  some  pledge,  such  as 
the  following,  may  be  used: 

1.  I  will  be  present  at  every  meeting  of  the  class,  unless 
prevented  by  unforeseen  circumstances. 

2.  I  will  secure  a  copy  of  the  text-book  to  be  used. 

3.  I    will    endeavor    to    devote    not    less    than    

minutes  to  the  study  of  each  lesson. 

4.  I  will  prepare  the  special  work  assigned  me  to  the 
best  of  my  ability. 

5.  I  will  pray  daily  for  the  spread  of  Christ's  King- 
dom in  the  earth. 

The  Leader.  One  thing  essential  to  success- 
ful study-class  work  is  a  competent  leader.  The 
necessary  qualifications  for  this  all-important 
office  are  three: 

1.  A  deep  and  abiding  interest  in  missions. 
"  Let  him  who  would  move  and  convince  others," 
says  Carlyle,  "  be  first  moved  and  convinced 
himself." 

2.  Ability  to  teach,  rather  than  to  lecture. 
The  class  will  profit  by  the  work  in  direct  pro- 
portion to  their  own  intellectual  effort. 

3.  Willingness  to  devote  time  to  thp  necessary 
study.  An  extended  knowledge  of  missionary 
history  and  a  wide  acquaintance  with  missionary 
literature  are  not  essential,  but  a  good  leader 

113 


HOLDING    THE    ROPES 


asked  to  be  on  the  lookout  for  photographs, 
curios,  or  other  objects  that  would  illustrate  the 
lessons  and  add  interest  to  them. 

ORDER  OF   EXERCISES 

The  program  for  the  lesson  hour  will  depend 
largely  on  the  length  of  the  sessions,  the  experi- 
ence of  the  leader,  and  the  ability  of  the  class. 
The  following  schedule,  prepared  by  Dr.  T.  H. 
P.  Sailer,  Educational  Secretary  of  the  Presby- 
terian Board  of  Foreign  Missions,  and  an 
acknowledged  expert  in  study-class  work,  is 
probably  the  best  yet  devised : 

1.  Scripture  Reading. — Select  a  brief  passage  that 
brings  out  some  one  thought  connected  with  the  lesson. 

2.  Prayer. — Let  the  member,  who  should  be  notified  in 
advance,  seek  to  be  brief  but  definite. 

3.  Assignment  of  the  Next  Lesson. — Let  the  leader 
state  clearly  the  subject  of  the  next  lesson,  and  the 
pages  of  the  text-book  to  be  studied.  Let  him  indicate 
the  subjects  of  most  importance,  telling  upon  what  to 
concentrate,  and  what  to  skim  or  omit.  Let  him  give  out 
questions  requiring  independent  thought.  Assignments 
to  individuals  (see  Nos.  4  and  7)  should  be  made  as 
largely  as  possible  in  writing,  and  given  out  either  before 
or  after  the  meeting. 

4.  Review. — Let  a  member,  previously  appointed,  give 
in  not  over  three  minutes  (a)  a  brief  review  of  the  last 
lesson,  mentioning  only  the  points  of  the    greatest  im- 

118 


THE    MISSION    STUDY    CLASS 

portance,  together  with  a  conclusion  to  be  drawn  from 
each;  or  (b)  a  still  more  condensed  review  of  the  course 
from  the  beginning,  giving  one  or  two  thoughts,  rather 
than  facts,  connected  with  the  lesson. 

5.  Personal  Impressions. — Let  each  member  mention 
in  a  sentence  what  was  personally  most  impressive  in  the 
last  lesson. 

6.  Questions  on  the  Advance  Lesson  by  the  Leader. — 
Upon  the  skill  with  which  this  is  done  success  in  teach- 
ing depends.  The  assignment  at  the  previous  lesson 
should  be  closely  followed. 

7.  Papers. — Have  two  or  three  (never  more)  papers  or 
talks  by  members  previously  appointed,  introduced  where 
most  appropriate. 

8.  Debate. — If  it  can  be  ascertained  by  a  show  of 
hands  that  members  have  differed  in  opinion  on  any  point 
in  the  lesson,  an  impromptu  debate  might  be  arranged. 

9.  Closing  Impressions. — Let  the  leader  sum  up  and 
try  to  leave  a  sense  of  individual  responsibility. 

10.  Closing  Prayer. — A  number  of  sentence  prayers 
may  be  called  for. 

A    NOTABLE    MISSION    STUDY    CAMPAIGN 

During  the  winter  of  1902-3  the  missionary 
committee  of  the  New  York  City  Christian  En- 
deavor Union  carried  on  a  mission  study  cam- 
paign which  produced  great  results,  and  is 
worthy  of  imitation.  In  his  annual  report  of 
June,  1903,  Mr.  W.  L.  Amerman,  the  efficient 
chairman  of  the  missionary  committee,  tells  of 
the  work  as  follows : 

119 


HOLDING    THE    ROPES 


Last  year's  successful  effort  for  the  "  unanimous " 
reading  of  several  selected  missionary  books  afforded  en- 
couragement and  preparation  for  something  far  more 
difficult — a  campaign  for  the  study  of  a  single  book, 
"  The  Price  of  Africa." 

To  supply  the  first  requisite,  teachers  or  leaders,  plans 
were  made  immediately  after  the  return  of  our  dele- 
gates from  the  Silver  Bay  Conference,  in  August,  1902, 
which  resulted  in  the  formation,  in  October,  of  six  normal 
classes,  practically  one  in  each  district,  led  by  expert 
teachers.  The  executive  committee  of  the  Union  made 
a  liberal  appropriation  for  printed  matter  and  other 
helps,  and  for  compensating  any  of  these  teachers  in 
cases  where  the  use  of  time  was  involved  which  could 
not  otherwise  have  been  available. 

An  average  number  of  fifty-six  students  attended  each 
of  the  eight  or  more  sessions  of  these  normal  classes, 
twenty-five  of  whom,  after  January  1st,  organized  in  their 
own  societies  a  second  series  of  classes,  and  pursued  the 
same  course,  enrolling  nearly  two  hundred  students,  and 
generating  widespread  interest.  Many  details  of  this 
campaign,  for  which  we  have  not  space  here,  may  be 
found  in  a  disseminating  article  in  the  June,  1903,  num- 
ber of  the  Assembly  Herald,  published  by  the  Presby- 
terian Board. 

The  work  of  the  Sixth  District  will  serve  to  illustrate 
that  in  others,  and  certainly  deserves  a  special  paragraph. 
The  leader  of  the  normal  class  was  Miss  Miriam  L. 
Taylor,  who  had  formerly  been  missionary  chairman  of 
the  district.  Six  of  the  nine  members  of  the  class  later 
organized  circles  of  their  own,  teaching  the  same  course, 
the  attendance  averaging  eight  per  session.  The  interest 
and  diligence  shown  were  very  gratifying.  In  two  cases 
these  latter  students  have  begun  to  lead  study  classes  on 

120 


THE    MISSION    STUDY    CLASS 

the  same  lines,  making  the  third  series,  popularly  known 
as  "  the  grandchildren.'1  Commencement  exercises  were 
held  by  the  normal  class  with  good  effect,  and  another 
gathering  celebrated  the  completion  of  the  course  by  the 
second  set  of  circles.  Individual  societies  report  much 
increased  interest  in  the  cause  of  missions  as  a  result  of 
this  work. 

Next  year's  campaign  will  be  upon  similar  lines.  Nor- 
mal classes  may  not  be  required,  but  two  general  series 
of  circles  will  be  arranged,  one  beginning  in  October  and 
one  in  January. 

Such  a  mission  study  campaign  could  be  con- 
ducted anywhere.  The  work  of  the  Sixth  Dis- 
trict, as  outlined  by  Mr.  Amerman,  shows  how 
well  the  plan  is  adapted  to  small  cities  as  well  as 
large  ones.  There  are  few  places  where  the 
service  of  an  expert  teacher  could  not  be  secured 
to  lead  a  normal  class  of  the  representatives  of 
the  young  people's  societies  or  the  women's  so- 
cieties. These  in  turn  could  organize  classes  in 
their  own  churches  or  societies. 


121 


VIII 

/HMssions  in  tbe  5unfca£=scbool 

Of  all  the  organizations  within  the  Church, 
none  offers  so  promising  a  field  for  fostering 
missionary  interest  and  prosecuting  missionary 
work  as  the  Sunday-school.  It  is  a  permanent 
institution,  found  everywhere,  and  its  member- 
ship embraces  both  sexes  and  all  ages — boys  as 
well  as  girls,  men  as  well  as  women.  Nowhere 
can  so  large  and  representative  a  number  be 
reached  as  here. 

The  Sunday-school  is,  too,  the  logical  place 
for  laying  the  foundations  for  missionary  work. 
The  Bible  is  its  text-book,  and  the  Bible  is  essen- 
tially a  missionary  book.  The  universal  salva- 
tion of  mankind  is  one  of  its  great  central 
themes,  occupying  large  space  in  both  Old  and 
New  Testaments. 

Yet  to  a  great  extent  the  Sunday-school  is  a 
neglected  factor  in  missionary  work.  In  his  re- 
cent book,  "  The  Evangelization  of  the  World 
122 


MISSIONS    IN    SUNDAY-SCHOOL 

in  this  Generation,"  John  R.  Mott  declares  that 
"  it  is,  in  some  respects,  the  largest  undeveloped 
resource  of  the  Church." 

Three  causes  can  be  found  for  this:  (1) 
Until  recently  the  mission  boards  have  put  forth 
little  or  no  systematic  effort  to  introduce  the 
study  of  missions  into  the  Sunday-school.  (2) 
With  few  exceptions,  the  great  leaders  of  Sun- 
day-school work  have  had  a  mistaken  idea  that 
missionary  teaching  in  the  Sunday-school  is 
somewhat  of  a  departure  from  the  avowed  pur- 
pose of  the  Sunday-school  to  teach  the  Word  of 
God.  (3)  The  average  Sunday-school  worker 
cares  so  little  about  the  great  work  our  Lord 
has  laid  upon  the  Church  that  he  feels  no  obli- 
gation whatever  to  train  those  under  his  care 
along  missionary  lines.  It  is  a  strange  fact 
that,  while  no  one  who  openly  violates  any  of 
the  Ten  Commandments  is  allowed  to  teach  in 
the  Sunday-school,  thousands  are  welcomed  to 
the  ranks  who  are  utterly  indifferent  and  openly 
disobedient  to  the  Last  Command.  The  writer 
has  personally  known  of  a  superintendent  who, 
in  the  face  of  the  overwhelming  testimony  to 
the  contrary,  declared  it  impossible  for  a  China- 
man to  be  a  true  convert  to  Christ,  and  a  teacher 
123 


HOLDING    THE    ROPES 


who  regarded  the  whole  scheme  of  missions  as  a 
foolish  and  useless  absurdity.  In  selecting  of- 
ficers and  teachers,  it  would  be  well  to  remember 
the  words  of  the  late  B.  F.  Jacobs : 

"  A  Sunday-school  worker  who  is  not  a  mis- 
sionary worker  is  out  of  place." 

In  many  a  Sunday-school  the  text-book  is  the 
Bible,  with  missions  practically  eliminated  from 
its  pages.  The  result  is  that  in  the  mind  of  the 
average  Christian,  even  tho  he  has  attended 
Sunday-school  faithfully  all  the  days  of  his  life, 
there  is  no  connection  between  the  extension  of 
God's  kingdom,  foretold  in  the  Bible,  and  the 
progress  of  God's  work  in  the  world  to-day.  To 
him  the  great  promises  and  prophecies  of  the 
coming  of  the  Kingdom  convey  no  assurance  of 
the  ultimate  triumph  of  world-wide  missions. 
This  was  demonstrated  in  the  summer  of  1900, 
during  the  Boxer  uprising,  when  not  only  the 
world,  but  multitudes  in  the  Church,  predicted 
the  complete  annihilation  of  missions  in  China. 
Yet  the  Word  of  God  clearly  teaches  that  the 
kingdoms  of  the  earth  (China  included)  are  to 
become  the  kingdoms  of  our  Lord  and  of  His 
Christ.  Many  who  glibly  quote  Judson's  fa- 
mous words,  "  The  prospects  are  as  bright  as  the 
124 


MISSIONS    IN    SUNDAY-SCHOOL 

promises  of  God,"  would  be  confused  if  asked 
to  repeat  some  of  the  promises  the  great  apostle 
to  the  Burmans  had  in  mind. 

Some  missionary  leaders  feel  that  the  lack  of 
missionary  teaching  in  the  Sunday-school  can 
only  be  remedied  by  special  missionary  lessons, 
assigned  by  the  International  Lesson  Committee. 
Others  feel  that  special  lessons  are  neither  neces- 
sary nor  desirable,  since  in  the  regular  lessons  of 
almost  every  quarter  opportunities  for  teaching 
missions  occur  with  great  frequency.  It  could 
hardly  be  otherwise  with  lessons  taken  from  a 
book  so  saturated  with  the  spirit  of  missions  as 
the  Bible.  The  trouble  is  not  so  much  with 
the  lessons  as  with  those  who  teach  them.  The 
average  teacher,  even  when  willing,  knows  little 
or  nothing  about  missions  and  is,  therefore, 
unable  to  teach  a  missionary  lesson  success- 
fully. 

In  view  of  this  deplorable  fact,  training  the 
teachers  and  firing  them  with  missionary  zeal 
would  seem  to  be  a  better  remedy.  This  could, 
perhaps,  be  accomplished  through  the  teachers' 
meeting  by  appointing  some  competent  leader 
to  suggest  methods  of  teaching  the  missionary 
lessons  whenever  they  occur.  Missionary  maga- 
125 


HOLDING    THE    ROPES 


zines  and  Sunday-school  journals  could  also 
render  good  assistance  by  devoting  space  each 
month  to  the  missionary  aspect  of  the  Sunday- 
school  lessons  and  furnishing  material  to  make 
them  interesting.  This  was  a  regular  feature  of 
one  prominent  missionary  magazine  some  years 
ago,  but  unfortunately  it  has  been  discontinued. 
The  devoting  of  a  column  to  missions  in  the 
Sunday-school  journals  of  the  Methodist  Epis- 
copal churches,  both  North  and  South,  is  a  step 
in  the  right  direction. 

Teaching  what  the  Bible  says  about  missions, 
is,  however,  not  sufficient — the  Sunday-school 
must  know  something  of  missions  in  the  world  to- 
day. The  children  should  study,  not  only  the 
Acts  of  the  Apostles  of  old,  but  also  the  acts  of 
the  great  army  of  new  apostles  that  God  has 
raised  up  for  the  evangelization  of  the  world; 
not  only  the  lives  of  the  grand  old  heroes  of 
Bible  times,  but  also  the  lives  of  the  great  mis- 
sionary heroes  of  modern  times. 

In  many  schools  study  of  modern  missions  is 
provided  for  by  devoting  an  entire  session  once 
a  quarter  to  special  missionary  exercises.  In 
others  a  certain  Sunday  in  each  month  is  desig- 
nated   as    Missionary    Sunday.     The    lesson    is 

126 


MISSIONS    IN    SUNDAY-SCHOOL 

taught  as  usual,  but  the  collection  is  for  mis- 
sions and  the  opening  and  closing  exercises  are 
missionary  in  character.  The  first  plan  is  good, 
the  second  far  better.  The  observance  of  a 
monthly  missionary  Sunday  in  no  way  interferes 
with  the  regular  work  of  the  school,  yet  the  sub- 
ject of  missions  is  made  a  special  feature  at 
twelve  sessions  in  the  year. 

Missionary  study  in  the  Sunday-school  should 
begin  in  the  primary'department,  or  kindergar- 
ten class,  if  there  is  one.  Some  schools  begin 
with  the  babies  of  the  "  cradle  roll,"  on  the  as- 
sumption that  no  child  is  too  young  to  be  taught 
to  give.  Mite-boxes  are  sent  to  the  babies,  with 
the  request  that  the  parents  see  that  a  gift  is 
dropped  in  each  week. 

Experience  proves  that  even  very  young  chil- 
dren are  capable  of  comprehending  and  remem- 
bering stories  of  missionary  heroes  and  their 
work.  A  primary  teacher  who  recently  delighted 
her  children  with  stories  from  the  life  of  John 
G.  Paton  was  much  gratified  to  learn,  during 
the  week  following,  that  one  little  fellow,  not 
more  than  five  years  old,  had  given  his  mother  a 
graphic  account  of  the  sinking  of  the  well  on 
Aniwa. 

127 


HOLDING    THE    ROPES 


PLANS   FOR   MISSIONARY  SUNDAY 

Rightly  conducted,  Missionary  Sunday  be- 
comes the  brightest  Sunday  in  the  month,  a  day 
to  which  the  children  look  forward  with  eager 
longing  and  keenest  interest.  The  following 
suggestions  are  offered  in  the  hope  that  many 
schools  may  be  induced  to  regularly  observe 
such  a  day : 

1.  Maps. — Every  Sunday-school  should  own 
a  large  missionary  map  of  the  world  for  use  in 
its  missionary  exercises.  It  is  not  wise  to  keep 
it  in  view  all  the  time,  for  it  will  prove  a  far 
greater  attraction  if  used  only  on  special  occa- 
sions. But  the  children  should  always  find  it  in 
place  on  Missionary  Sunday. 

Such  a  map  may  be  used  in  many  ways.  If 
the  mission  fields  are  studied  month  by  month, 
the  stations  should  be  marked  by  inserting  little 
gold-headed  fasteners,  such  as  are  used  to  brad 
papers  together.  At  the  end  of  a  year  the  map 
will  be  dotted  over  with  them,  showing  at  a 
glance  where  the  missionaries  are  at  work. 

Another  map  plan  that  never  fails  to  please  is 
taking  imaginary  journeys  to  and  from  the  mis- 
sion fields,  or  tracing  the  actual  journey  of  some 
128 


MISSIONS   IN   SUNDAY-SCHOOL 

real  missionary,  by  means  of  colored  cords 
stretched  from  point  to  point. 

The  fields  or  stations  to  which  the  school  has 
sent  money  should  also  be  marked  on  the  map, 
using  gold  stars  or  tiny  flags  for  the  purpose. 
This  plan,  used  in  Ralph  Wells'  school  in  New 
York  City,  greatly  delighted  the  children,  and 
had  no  small  influence  in  increasing  their  gifts. 

2.  Music. — The  singing  of  stirring  mission- 
ary hymns  should  be  a  feature  of  both  opening 
and  closing  exercises.  A  few  of  the  best  hymns 
should  be  memorized,  so  that  they  can  be  sung 
without  books.  It  is  a  good  plan,  too,  to  con- 
nect hymns  with  the  passages  of  Scripture  upon 
which  they  are  based.  It  makes  the  children 
think,  and  impresses  the  lesson  of  the  hymn 
upon  the  memory.  Thus,  before  announcing  the 
hymn,  "  Jesus  shall  reign  where'er  the  sun," 
read  parts  of  Ps.  72,  and  ask  the  school  to  name 
the  hymn  it  suggests.  "  Christ  for  the  world  we 
sing,  the  world  to  Christ  we  bring,"  takes  on 
new  meaning  when  connected  with  John  iii:16 
and  Ps.  ii :  8,  the  first  text  telling  that  God  gave 
Christ  to  the  world,  the  second  that  He  will 
give  the  world  to  Christ. 

Hymns  connected  with  great  events  on  the 
129 


HOLDING    THE    ROPES 


mission  field  will  also  prove  inspiring.  "  Jesus,  I 
my  cross  have  taken,"  will  convey  a  stronger 
lesson  than  ever  before  when  the  children  learn 
that  Sooboonagam  Ammal,  a  high-caste  Hindu 
girl  who  gave  up  all  for  Christ,  committed  it  to 
memory  and  sang  it  at  her  baptism  because  it  so 
fully  expressed  her  feelings.1 

3.  Supplemental  Lessons. — In  up-to-date 
schools,  where  a  supplemental  course  of  Bible 
study  is  in  use,  the  lessons  on  Missionary  Sunday 
should  have  to  do  with  missions.  Such  questions 
as  the  following  should  be  asked  and  the  answers 
memorized: 

"  What  is  the  Great  Commission?  " 

"  What  did  the  Duke  of  Wellington  call  '  Our 
Marching  Orders  '  ?  " 

"  Where  are  we  to  witness  for  Christ  ?  " 

"  What  inheritance  did  the  Father  promise  to 
the  Son?" 

"  What  promises  point  to  the  final  success  of 
missions?  " 

"  What  command  did  Christ  give  about  pray- 
ing for  laborers?  "  ' 

i  For  the  missionary  stories  of  other  hymns  see  chap- 
ter iii. 

2  Many  of  the  suggestions  made  in  chapter  i.  are  appro- 
priate for  use  in  the  Sunday-school. 

130 


MISSIONS    IN    SUNDAY-SCHOOL 

4.  Prayer. — Missionary  Sunday  affords  a 
great  opportunity  for  training  children  to  pray 
for  missions.  Dr.  A.  C.  Thompson  asks :  "  Is 
it  too  much  for  even  young  children  to  plead  in 
the  fullest  sense  of  the  word,  6  Thy  Kingdom 
come,  thy  will  be  done  in  earth  [in  all  the  earth] 
as  it  is  in  heaven  '  ?  " 

The  Jews  had  a  saying,  "  He  prays  not  at 
all  in  whose  prayers  there  is  no  mention  of 
the  kingdom  of  heaven."  The  large  measure 
of  truth  there  is  in  this  may  be  learned  from 
a  study  of  the  model  prayer  our  Lord  gave  to 
His  disciples.  There  should,  therefore,  be 
prayer  for  the  world-wide  spread  of  the  Gospel 
at  every  session  of  the  Sunday-school.  This 
is  customary  throughout  the  Moravian  Church, 
and  should  be  in  all  denominations.  The  prayers 
on  Missionary  Sunday  especially  should  be 
marked  by  brief,  simple  petitions,  such  as  every 
child  can  comprehend.  And  these  petitions 
should  be  for  definite  things — for  money,  for 
laborers,  for  special  objects  supported  by  the 
school,  for  children  in  heathen  lands,  and  for 
individual  missionaries  by  name.  The  children 
should  be  urged,  too,  to  pray  daily  for  missions 
in  their  homes. 

131 


HOLDING    THE    ROPES 


5.  Talks  on  Missions. — During  the  closing 
exercises,  following  the  lesson,  from  ten  to 
twenty  minutes  should  be  given  to  short,  bright 
talks  on  missionary  topics.  These  may  be  mis- 
cellaneous, or  a  series  so  closely  related  as  to 
deserve  the  name  of  systematic  missionary 
study. 

In  many  schools  the  topics  for  the  monthly 
talks  are  the  mission  fields  of  the  denomination 
to  which  the  school  belongs.  Study  of  this  kind 
can  be  made  intensely  interesting  to  children,  es- 
pecially if  wise  use  is  made  of  pictures,  curios, 
and  maps.  Dressing  children  in  native  costume 
and  having  them  sing  native  hymns  form  pleas- 
ing innovations. 

Such  talks  on  missions,  when  faithfully  given, 
and  accompanied  by  prayer,  have  influenced 
many  young  lives  and  sent  many  a  missionary 
to  the  field.  A  notable  example  of  this  is  found 
in  the  autobiography  of  James  Chalmers,  the 
Hero-martyr  of  New  Guinea,  who  says: 

I  was  almost  fifteen  years  of  age  when  I  came  to  the 
great  decision  of  my  life.  I  remember  it  well.  Our 
Sunday-school  class  had  been  held  in  the  vestry  as  usual. 
The  lesson  was  finished,  and  we  had  marched  back  into 
the  chapel  to  sing,  answer  questions,  and  to  listen  to  a 

132 


MISSIONS   IN   SUNDAY-SCHOOL 

short  address.  I  was  sitting  at  the  head  of  the  seat,  and 
can  even  now  see  Mr.  Meikle  [the  superintendent]  taking 
from  his  breast-pocket  a  copy  of  the  United  Presbyterian 
Record,  and  hear  him  say  that  he  was  going  to  read  an 
interesting  letter  to  us  from  a  missionary  in  Fiji.  The 
letter  was  read.  It  spoke  of  cannibalism,  and  of  the 
power  of  the  Gospel,  and  at  the  close  of  the  reading, 
looking  over  his  spectacles,  and  with  wet  eyes,  he  said, 
"  I  wonder  if  there  is  a  boy  here  this  afternoon  who  will 
yet  become  a  missionary,  and  by-and-by  bring  the  Gos- 
pel to  the  cannibals?"  And  the  response  of  my  heart 
was,  "  Yes,  God  helping  me,  I  will."  So  impressed  was  I 
that  I  spoke  to  no  one,  but  went  right  away  towards 
home.  The  impression  became  greater,  the  further  I 
went,  until  I  got  to  the  bridge  over  the  Aray  above  the 
mill,  and  near  to  the  Black  Bull.  There  I  went  over  the 
wall  attached  to  the  bridge,  and  kneeling  down  prayed 
God  to  accept  of  me,  and  make  me  a  missionary  to  the 
heathen. 

Hero  Sunday. — Another  plan  that  can  be 
used  to  advantage  during  an  entire  year  is  the 
celebration  of  missionaries'  birthdays,  very  much 
as  authors'  birthdays  are  celebrated  in  the  pub- 
lic schools.  For  this  purpose  select  twelve  great 
missionary  heroes,  assigning  each  to  the  month 
in  which  his  birthday  falls.  On  Missionary  Sun- 
day— perhaps  it  would  be  better  to  call  it  Hero 
Sunday  during  this  year — give  a  very  brief  out- 
line of  the  hero's  life,  and  follow  it  with  short, 
bright  stories  or  anecdotes  of  his  work.  Chil- 
133 


HOLDING    THE    ROPES 


dren  will  enjoy  these  far  better  than  a  compre- 
hensive, detailed  sketch,  and  remember  them 
twice  as  well.  At  the  close  have  the  school  memo- 
rize some  famous  saying  of  the  hero  of  the  day.1 
Missionary  "  memory  gems "  are  well  worth 
learning.2 

Pictures  of  the  missionary,  either  a  large  one 
to  hang  on  the  wall,  or  small  ones  to  distribute 
among  the  classes,  add  much  to  the  interest,  as 
do  also  curios  and  music  from  the  land  in  which 
he  worked. 

The  following  list  is  suggested  for  schools  de- 
siring to  carry  out  this  plan : 

January — Cyrus  Hamlin 
February — Titus  Coan 
March — David  Livingstone 
April — Bishop  Patteson 
May — John  G.  Paton 
June — Allen  Gardiner 
July — Samuel  Marsden 
August — William  Carey 
September — Marcus  Whitman 
October — Alexander  Mackay 

i  Quotations  from  great  missionaries  will  be  found  in 
chapter  xiii. 

2  Another  plan  for  teaching  the  names  and  achieve- 
ments of  missionary  heroes  will  be  found  in  chapter  xi. 

134 


MISSIONS   IN   SUNDAY-SCHOOL 

November — John  Eliot  i 
December — Robert  Moffat 

THE  MONEY  POWER  OF  THE  SUNDAY-SCHOOL 

The  financial  possibilities  of  the  Sunday- 
school  are  great  beyond  computation.  Mr. 
Mott  says: 

In  1890  the  number  of  children  in  the  Sunday-schools 
of  Protestant  lands  exceeded  22,000,000.  If  they  were 
trained  to  give  even  two  cents  a  week  per  member,  it 
would  yield  an  amount  greater  than  the  present  total 
missionary  gifts  of  Christendom.  That  this  is  not  an 
unreasonable  estimate  is  proved  by  the  actual  practise 
in  many  schools. 

Wherever  systematic  effort  has  been  made  to 
interest  schools  in  missionary  giving  the  results 
have  been  surprising.  The  children  of  the 
American  Board  raised  $46,000  for  the  Morn- 
ing Star,  contributing  it  in  ten-cent  shares. 
The  children  of  England  built  the  John  Will- 
iams, and  gave  $29,000  besides  to  other  ships  of 
the  London  Missionary  Society ;  the  children  of 
Scotland   built    the   David    Williams,    and    the 

i  Eliot's  birthday  is  unknown,  but  tradition  places  it 
in  November.  Since  no  great  missionary  seems  to  have 
been  born  in  that  month,  his  name  may  well  be  used  to 
fill  the  vacant  space. 

135 


HOLDING    THE    ROPES 


children  of  Australia  gave  $25,000  to  the  Day- 
spring,  John  G.  Paton's  missionary  ship.  In 
1902  the  Sunday-schools  of  the  Methodist  Epis- 
copal Church,  North,  raised  $400,000  for  mis- 
sions, about  one-third  of  the  sum  contributed  by 
the  entire  denomination. 

These  facts  go  to  show  that  the  Sunday- 
school  is  a  veritable  gold-mine,  capable  of  yield- 
ing large  returns  for  missionary  work.  It  is  un- 
fortunate that,  in  most  denominations,  it  is  a 
mine  that  is  being  worked  to  a  limited  extent 
only.  This  cuts  off  a  large  source  of  revenue 
from  the  mission  boards,  and,  worse  still,  de- 
prives the  children  of  that  training  in  benevo- 
lence essential  to  their  growth  in  grace,  and  so 
important  in  view  of  the  fact  that,  ere  long, 
they  will  be  in  control  of  the  money  power  of 
the  Church. 

On  the  other  hand,  it  is  not  well  to  lay  too 
much  stress  on  the  financial  side,  for  men  as  well 
as  money  are  needed  for  the  work,  and  the  Sun- 
day-school must  be  trained  to  furnish  both. 


136 


IX 

Ubc  flDones  problem 

Money  is  an  important  factor  in  winning  the 
world  to  Christ.  Without  it  the  wheels  of  mis- 
sionary activity  would  soon  cease  revolving. 
With  it,  in  sufficient  quantities,  the  work  could 
be  widely  extended  and  rapidly  pushed  in  all 
directions.  "  One  thing  alone  hinders  the  prog- 
ress of  the  Kingdom,"  says  the  Rev.  W.  D.  Sex- 
ton, "  and  that  one  thing  is  lack  of  money. 
The  whole  world  is  ready  and  waiting  for  the 
Gospel,  the  Boards  of  the  Church  are  organized 
to  meet  the  need,  and  men  are  offering  them- 
selves for  the  work;  but  the  treasuries  are 
empty,  the  officers  compelled  to  call  a  halt,  and 
the  whole  line  of  Christ's  army  forced  to  rest 
upon  its  arms." 

The  relation  of  money  to  missions  is  a  vital 

one.     The  gold  of  the  universe  is  not  sufficient 

to    purchase    pardon    for    even    one    immortal 

soul — "  Ye  know  that  ye  were  not  redeemed  with 

137 


HOLDING    THE    ROPES 


corruptible  things  as  silver  and  gold  " — yet  in  a 
sense  money  can  buy  salvation  for  millions  of 
Christless  souls.  It  bears  much  the  same  rela- 
tion to  soul-saving  that  it  does  to  life-saving. 
A  bank-note  would  make  a  very  poor  plaster  to 
alleviate  bodily  pain,  and  it  is  powerless  to  wipe 
away  the  stains  of  sin,  yet  in  the  one  case  it 
can  effect  a  cure  by  commanding  the  skill  of  the 
physician  and  the  potency  of  the  drug,  and  in 
the  other  by  sending  forth  the  heralds  of  the 
Cross  and  scattering  broadcast  the  leaves  of  the 
Book  which  are  for  the  healing  of  the  na- 
tions. 

Giving  the  Gospel  to  every  creature  is  the 
greatest  work  in  the  world,  the  most  colossal 
enterprise  ever  undertaken  by  man.  For  its  suc- 
cessful prosecution  it  necessarily  requires  vast 
sums  of  money — not  vaster,  however,  than  the 
Church  is  abundantly  able  to  supply.  Owing  to 
the  rapid  increase  in  the  financial  resources  of 
Protestant  Christians  during  the  last  half  cen- 
tury, the  money  power  of  the  Church  is  practi- 
cally unlimited.  It  is  estimated  that  in  the 
United  States  alone  the  wealth  of  the  evangeli- 
cal Church  members  aggregates  more  than 
twenty  billion  dollars,  and  that  it  is  increasing 

138 


THE    MONEY    PROBLEM 


daily  at  an  amazing  rate.  A  mere  fraction  of 
this  sum  would  suffice,  with  God's  help,  to  give 
the  Gospel  to  every  creature  within  a  brief 
period  of  time. 

Yet  no  phase  of  the  missionary  problem  is 
more  difficult  to  solve  than  the  financial  one. 
Notwithstanding  the  enormous  money  power  of 
the  Church,  there  are  few  missionary  organiza- 
tions that  are  not  perplexed  concerning  money, 
and  seriously  hampered  for  lack  of  funds ;  and 
of  the  inadequate  amounts  that  find  their  way 
into  missionary  treasuries  as  the  result  of  end- 
less effort,  a  large  proportion  is  given  grudg- 
ingly and  of  necessity — wrested  from  unwilling 
purses,  sometimes  by  methods  dishonoring  to 
Christ  and  belittling  to  the  cause  of  missions. 
There  is  surely  something  wrong  with  the  whole 
system  of  missionary  finance. 

But  difficult  as  it  is,  the  money  problem  is  not 
incapable  of  solution.  The  Moravians  solved  it 
long  ago,  and  so  did  Pastor  Harms.  "  If  the 
Moravian  standard  were  reached  by  the  other 
Reformed  churches,"  says  Mrs.  Isabella  Bird 
Bishop,  "  they  would  contribute  £140,000,000 
a  year."  The  Central  Presbyterian  Church  of 
New  York  City  is  solving  the  problem  at  the 

139 


HOLDING    THE    ROPES 


present  time;  so  is  the  First  Presbyterian 
Church  of  Wichita,  Kansas ;  so  is  an  increas- 
ingly large  number  of  churches,  young  peoples' 
societies,  and  Sunday-schools  that  have  brought 
their  gifts  up  to  an  almost  ideal  standard. 
How  has  it  been  done?  In  every  instance 
prayer  has  been  the  key.  Yet  not  prayer  that 
sits  by  with  folded  hands  and  waits  for  God  to 
perform  miracles,  but  prayer  accompanied  by 
tireless  effort  and  faithful  work. 

SOME    SECRETS    OF    SUCCESS 

A  thorough  study  of  the  underlying  causes  of 
the  remarkable  results  attained  in  individual 
churches  and  societies  has  revealed  the  following 
secrets  of  success,  which  should  be  thoughtfully 
pondered : 

1.  The  inculcation,  through  prayer,  the 
study  of  the  Word  and  the  dissemination  of  mis- 
sionary information,  of  a  spirit  of  obedience  to 
Christ's  command  to  give  the  Gospel  to  every 
creature.  This  should  always  be  the  first  step 
in  the  solution  of  the  money  problem.  It  is  a 
serious  mistake  to  push  the  financial  side  before 
laying  the  foundations  for  a  deep  and  abiding 
interest  in  the  cause.  In  too  many  churches 
140 


THE    MONEY    PROBLEM 


m-i-s-s-i-o-n-s  spells  money.  The  people  hear 
nothing  whatever  of  the  work,  save  in  connec- 
tion with  the  contribution-box.  On  this  point 
two  well-known  missionary  leaders  have  spoken 
forcibly  as  follows: 

Great  harm  is  done  by  hammering  on  the  money  ques- 
tion when  hearts  are  not  touched  and  news  of  the  work 
is  not  given.  If  I  became  pastor  of  a  very  narrow- 
minded  and  anti-missionary  church,  I  am  inclined  to 
think  that  I  would  not  ask  for  an  offering  for  mis- 
sions until  the  people  proposed  it.  But  they  would  have 
to  take  the  facts,  or  stay  at  home,  or  have  a  farewell 
sermon. — Rev.  John-  W.  Conklin,  Field  Secretary  of 
the  Reformed  Church  in  America  Board  of  Missions. 

Mission  literature,  mission  meetings,  and  mission 
preaching  have  had  so  much  of  the  ring  of  the  dollar  in 
them  that  people  have  begun  to  shun  them.  We  who 
push  the  work  must  never  lose  sight  of  the  dollar,  of 
course,  but  the  sooner  we  learn  to  bait  the  hook,  so  that 
people  will  not  see  the  silver  until  they  are  on  it,  the 
better  it  will  be  for  the  work.  We  should  have  more 
mission  sermons  that  people  do  not  know  are  mission 
sermons,  more  missionary  meetings  without  collections, 
more  deepening  of  the  spiritual  life,  more  to  interest 
and  instruct  pleasantly  without  bringing  up  the  idea 
of  finance — until  missions  have  such  a  hold  on  the  people 
that  they  will  not  shrink  from  "  closing  the  bargain " 
when  we  name  to  them  the  price. — Alva  M.  Kerr,  Treas- 
urer of  the  Board  of  Missions  of  the  Christian  Church. 

2.  Thorough    instruction    concerning    stew- 
141 


HOLDING    THE    ROPES 


ardship.  This  is  the  second  step  in  solving 
the  money  problem.  The  great  majority 
of  professing  Christians  have  not  as  yet 
learned  even  the  first  principles  of  Christian 
giving.  Not  many,  perhaps,  go  as  far  as  the 
old  woman  who  thanked  the  Lord  she  had  been 
a  church-member  fifty  years  and  it  had  never 
cost  her  a  cent,  but  comparatively  few  recog- 
nize God's  claim  upon  their  money,  and  render 
an  amount  adequate  to  the  benefits  received. 
Yet  the  Word  of  God  clearly  teaches  that  money 
is  a  trust  and  that  we  are  stewards  responsible 
for  the  wise  use  of  every  penny  entrusted  to 
our  care.  When  Christians  realize  this  there 
will  be  no  more  deficits  in  the  treasury  of  the 
Lord.  A  Baptist  pastor  who  was  recently 
asked  to  give  the  secret  of  his  remarkable  suc- 
cess in  promoting  Christian  giving,  said: 

Our  method  is  based  on  the  thorough  indoctrination  of 
the  people  in  the  matter  of  stewardship.  That  work 
which  can  only  be  done  by  the  pastor  in  sermons,  Bible- 
readings,  question-boxes,  prayer-meeting  talks,  etc., 
really  requires  many  consecutive  weeks  of  hard  and 
painstaking  labor.  But  once  done  it  is  the  foundation  on 
which  everything  is  built.  There  is  no  sure  and  quick 
way.  It  is  all  work  and  work  with  God's  Word,  brought 
home  to  the  consciences  of  the  people. 

142 


THE    MONEY    PROBLEM 


3.  The  promotion  of  systematic  and  propor- 
tionate giving.  The  principle  of  stewardship 
involves  the  practise  of  systematic  and  propor- 
tionate giving — systematic  giving  being  the 
setting  apart  of  a  definite  sum  regularly  and 
from  principle,  rather  than  spasmodically  and 
from  impulse,  and  proportionate  giving  being 
the  systematic  offering  of  a  fixed  percentage  of 
the  income  to  the  Lord.  The  difference  between 
the  two  is  illustrated  by  the  story  of  the  young 
man  who  decided  to  give  fifty  cents  a  week  to 
missions.  His  salary  at  the  time  was  $10  a 
week.  In  the  course  of  a  few  years  it  was  in- 
creased to  $50,  yet  he  still  continued  to  give 
fifty  cents — no  more,  no  less.  This  was  sys- 
tematic giving,  but  not  proportionate.  The 
amount  he  gave  away  bore  no  relation  whatever 
to  the  amount  he  was  receiving. 

Wherever  systematic  and  proportionate  giv- 
ing is  faithfully  practised  there  is  money  enough 
and  to  spare.  The  percentage  given  must,  of 
course,  be  left  to  the  individual  conscience,  but 
God's  Word  seems  clearly  to  indicate  that  the 
tenth  is  the  minimum  proportion.  In  a  little 
pamphlet  telling  how  the  First  Presbyterian 
Church  of  Wichita,  Kansas,  increased  its  con- 
143 


HOLDING    THE    ROPES 


tributions   from   $500    to   $5,500   per   annum, 
the  pastor,  the  Rev.  Charles  E.  Bradt,  says : 

I  hold  constantly  before  my  people  the  Scriptural  idea 
of  stewardship — namely,  that  all  we  have  is  entrusted  of 
God,  to  be  used  for  the  extension  of  His  Kingdom  and 
the  salvation  of  men  through  the  preaching  and  teaching 
of  Jesus  Christ;  that,  however  poor,  they  should  pay  into 
the  Lord's  treasury  not  less  than  a  tenth  of  their  income; 
this  tenth  to  go  to  distinctively  Christian  lines  of  work; 
that  the  tenth  is  only  the  beginning  of  what  most  persons 
should  contribute. 

4.  Enlisting  every  Christian  in  the  work. 
Enlarging  the  number  of  contributors  is  one  of 
the  most  potent  ways  of  increasing  the  revenue 
for  missions.  If  every  Christian,  young  and 
old,  rich  and  poor,  could  be  induced  to  give  even 
a  small  amount,  the  money  problem  would  be 
quickly  solved.  If  the  one  hundred  and  forty 
million  Protestant  Christians  in  the  world  gave 
an  average  of  five  cents  a  wreek — the  price  of  a 
cigar,  a  street-car  fare,  or  a  glass  of  soda — it 
would  aggregate  more  than  $360,000,000  a 
year!  Too  much  reliance  has  been  placed  on 
the  large  gifts  of  the  few,  too  little  on  the  small 
contributions  of  the  many.  Dr.  Josiah  Strong 
tells  of  a  church  that  took  up  a  collection  of 
$1,100  for  home  missions.  Of  this  sum,  $600 
144 


THE    MONEY    PROBLEM 


came  from  one  member  and  $300  from  another, 
leaving  but  $200  from  the  remainder  of  the 
congregation.  The  people  congratulated  them- 
selves on  their  generosity,  but  in  reality  they  had 
not  done  well.  By  carefully  and  systematically 
"  gathering  up  the  fragments  "  that  remained, 
the  amount  might  easily  have  been  doubled. 
Small  gifts  are  needed  as  well  as  large  ones — 
the  one  no  less  than  the  other.  Even  in  the 
sight  of  man  ten  dimes  aggregate  as  much  as 
one  dollar,  and  in  the  sight  of  God  they  are 
often  far  more  precious.  It  was  the  mite  of 
the  widow,  not  the  millions  of  a  merchant  prince, 
that  received  the  commendation  of  the  Master 
— not  because  it  was  a  mite,  but  because  it 
represented  rare  self-sacrifice  and  true  de- 
votion. 

5.  Appealing  to  right  motives  for  missionary 
giving.  This  is  a  matter  of  primary  impor- 
tance, for  motive  largely  determines  both  the 
quantity  and  quality  of  missionary  money. 
Appeals  should  be  based  on  love  to  Christ  and 
obedience  to  His  command  rather  than  on  har- 
rowing stories  of  terrible  suffering  in  heathen 
lands.  Compassion  is  a  legitimate  motive,  but 
owing  to  the  innate  selfishness  of  man  it  is  apt  to 
145 


HOLDING    THE    ROPES 


be  shortlived.  Dr.  William  Ashmore  used  to  tell 
a  story  that  illustrates  this.  A  wealthy  old  lady 
who  lived  in  much  comfort  awoke  one  morning 
to  find  it  bitterly  cold  and  the  fire  gone  out  in 
her  room.  "  Mary,"  she  said  to  her  maid,  "  I 
am  afraid  those  people  in  the  alley  are  suffer- 
ing. When  you  have  lighted  my  fire  and  given 
me  my  breakfast,  you  may  carry  them  a  bucket 
of  coal  and  a  basket  of  food."  An  hour  later, 
when  a  cheerful  fire  blazed  on  her  hearth,  she 
said,  as  she  sipped  her  hot  coffee  in  bed: 
"  Mary,  you  need  not  take  anything  to  the 
people  in  the  alley.  The  weather  has  mod- 
erated so  much  they  can  not  be  suffering  now." 
Appeals  based  on  pastoral  pride,  church  repu- 
tation, or  denominational  loyalty,  can  not  foster 
true  liberality.  Dr.  Pierson  declares  that  gifts 
secured  in  this  way  are  not  gifts  at  all,  but 
simply  purchase  moneys,  and  illustrates  his 
point  as  follows : 

If  you  give  a  hundred  dollars  because  your  neighbor 
has  given  the  same,  and  you  are  too  proud  to  seem  behind 
him,  you  have  given  nothing;  you  have  simply  bought 
your  own  respectability.  Again,  if  you  give  a  hundred 
dollars  to  have  your  name  appear  in  the  published  list 
of  generous  donors,  you  have  given  nothing;  you  have 
'paid  so  much  for  popular  applause. 


146 


THE    MONEY    PROBLEM 


6-  Reviving  the  spirit  of  self-sacrifice.  Com- 
paratively few  Christians  of  the  present  day 
know  the  meaning  of  the  word  sacrifice  from 
practical  experience.  This  is  largely  because 
there  is  little  in  twentieth-century  Christianity 
to  call  it  forth.  "  It  is  a  real  sacrifice  to  give 
my  tenth,"  said  a  Christian  woman  recently, 
"  and  I  do  not  feel  that  my  church  is  in  special 
need  of  sacrifice."  The  missionary  on  the  field, 
however,  is  expected  to  make  great  sacrifices  for 
the  salvation  of  the  world;  why  not  the  well- 
to-do  Christians  at  home?  The  same  obliga- 
tion rests  upon  both.  In  the  sight  of  God  the 
millionaire  Christian  has  no  more  right  to  a 
mansion  on  Fifth  Avenue  than  the  humble  mis- 
sionary to  a  palace  in  India.  When  Christians 
at  home  practise  the  same  self-denial  as  the 
missionary  on  the  field  there  will  be  no  money 
problem  to  solve. 

7.  Giving  money  instead  of  raising  it.  One 
of  the  most  serious  mistakes  of  the  past  has 
been  the  raising  of  money  for  missions  by  means 
of  fairs  and  festivals,  lectures,  concerts,  and 
what-not.  In  the  first  place,  they  do  not  pay 
very  well,  and,  in  the  second  they  are  dia- 
metrically  opposed  to  the   methods   taught   in 

147 


HOLDING    THE    ROPES 


the  Word.  Imagine  the  church  at  Antioch 
eating  ice-cream  or  giving  a  concert  to  help  pay 
the  expenses  of  Paul's  missionary  work !  In  a 
recent  article  in  the  Assembly  Herald,  Mr.  John 
Willis  Baer  says : 

Money  for  the  Lord's  work:  shall  we  give  it,  or  shall 
we  raise  it?  When  money  is  wanted,  usually  the  first 
resort  is  not  to  "  fasting  and  prayers,  but  to  festivals 
and  fairs."  This  is  raising  money,  not  giving  it.  I 
appeal  for  a  spirit  of  consecration  which  will  compel  us 
to  give  more  and  raise  less.  The  net  result  in  the  end 
will  be  very  much  more  money  available  for  the  Lord's 
work. 

8.  Assuming  the  support  of  a  missionary. 
Chaining  churches  and  societies  at  home  to 
needy  fields  of  work  abroad  is  proving  one  of 
the  most  fruitful  ways  of  increasing  missionary 
revenue.  During  the  last  few  years  the  Missions 
Boards  have  changed  their  policy  of  insist- 
ing that  all  contributions  shall  be  paid  into  the 
treasury  without  restriction  as  to  object.  This 
is,  perhaps,  the  ideal  way,  but  human  nature  is 
weak,  and  the  average  man  is  more  easily  in- 
terested in  concrete  giving  to  a  special  object 
than  in  abstract  giving  to  a  general  fund. 
Wherever  a  church  or  society  has  assumed  the 
148 


THE    MONEY    PROBLEM 


support  of  a  missionary,  undertaken  the  erec- 
tion of  a  building,  or  taken  a  share  in  the  work 
of  a  station,  the  increase  in  contributions  has 
been  very  great,  ranging,  in  many  cases,  from 
fifty  to  twenty-five  hundred  per  cent.  There 
are,  of  course,  drawbacks  to  the  plan,  but  the 
burden  of  proof  goes  to  show  that  the  disad- 
vantages are  overbalanced  by  the  advantages. 

9.  The  adoption  of  a  systematic  and  busi- 
ness-like method  of  collecting  funds.  This  is 
one  of  the  essentials  of  success.  Too  many 
societies  simply  pass  the  basket  at  their  meet- 
ings, the  members  giving  or  not,  as  they  please, 
and  too  many  churches  depend  upon  an  annual 
collection,  which  is  at  best  a  precarious  plan. 
If  the  pastor  is  not  specially  interested,  and  no 
notice  is  given  beforehand,  the  people  come  un- 
prepared to  give.  If  the  weather  is  bad,  or  an 
epidemic  of  sickness  prevails,  or  many  persons 
are  away  from  home,  the  percentage  of  at- 
tendance is  small  and  the  offering  correspond- 
ingly poor.  Unless  special  effort  is  made  to 
reach  the  absentees  (and  this  is  seldom  done) 
the  result  is  a  loss  which  is  never  retrieved. 


1.49 


HOLDING    THE    ROPES 


SUCCESSFUL    METHODS    OF    COLLECTING    FUNDS 

Almost  every  successful  method  of  collecting 
money  for  missions  is  based  on  a  system  of 
definite  pledges,  payable  once  a  week  or  once 
a  month.  The  reason  for  this  lies  in  the  fact 
tho  small  sums  frequently  contributed  amount 
in  the  end  to  a  surprising  total,  they  are  much 
more  easily  secured  than  larger  sums  paid  at 
one  time.  Thus  two  cents  a  week  is  more 
readily  promised  than  $1  a  year,  yet  in  reality 
it  amounts  to  four  cents  more.  And  ten  cents 
a  week  seems  a  trifling  sum  compared  with  $5 
a  year.  Many  will  cheerfully  give  the  former 
sum  to  whom  the  latter  would  seem  an  impos- 
sibility. 

Two  cents  a  week.  The  simplest  of  all 
pledge  systems  is  known  as  the  two-cents-a-week 
plan.  It  has  been  widely  and  successfully  used 
as  a  starting-point  in  systematic  giving  by 
women's  organizations  and  young  people's  so- 
cieties, and  its  vindication  lies  in  the  enormous 
sums  that  have  been  paid  into  the  treasury  as 
a  result  of  its  use.  The  giving  of  a  penny  a 
week — two  cents  in  our  money — was  first  pro- 
posed by  William  Carey  in  his  famous  Enquiry, 
150 


THE    MONEY    PROBLEM 


published  in  1792.  It  is  a  pitifully  small  sum, 
yet  largely  in  excess  of  the  average  amount 
given  for  missions.  "  The  churches,  whether 
by  themselves  or  by  societies,"  says  Dr.  George 
Smith,  "  have  yet  to  organize  themselves  up  to 
the  level  of  Carey's  penny  a  week." 

Five  times  two  is  ten.  An  enlargement  of 
the  two-cents-a-week  plan,  devised  by  Mr.  W. 
L.  Amerman,  and  successfully  used  by  many 
Christian  Endeavor  societies,  is  known  as  the 
five-times-two-is-ten  plan.  It  is  based  on  the 
principle  that  the  best  way  to  interest  people 
in  missions  is  to  put  them  to  work,  and  that 
the  best  results  in  giving  come  from  the  col- 
lection of  small  contributions  regularly  from 
many  people.  In  the  five-times-two-is-ten  plan 
each  person  takes  a  pledge  to  give  two  cents  a 
week  himself,  and  collect  a  like  amount  from 
four  other  persons,  preferably  those  who  are 
not  already  giving  to  missions.  Ten  collectors 
constitute  a  division,  and  are  assigned  to  a  divi- 
sion treasurer,  who  thus  becomes  responsible  for 
ten  times  ten  cents — a  dollar  a  week.  "  The  first 
year  we  tried  it,"  said  Mr.  Amerman,  "  we  had 
fifty  members  of  our  Christian  Endeavor  Society 
and  fifty  outsiders  working  on  it — one  hundred 
151 


HOLDING    THE    ROPES 


in  all.  At  the  end  of  the  year  the  receipts 
amounted  to  about  $500.  Here  were  one  hun- 
dred workers  influencing  four  hundred  people — 
a  total  of  five  hundred  doing  something  for 
missions." 

Proportion  pledges.  Societies  that  have  al- 
ready taken  the  first  steps  in  learning  to  give 
should  introduce  a  system  of  pledges  in  which 
the  amounts  promised  are  proportionate  to  the 
ability  of  the  giver.  The  usual  method  is  to 
circulate  pledge-cards  with  blank  spaces  for  the 
name,  address,  and  amount  contributed.  When 
these  are  signed  and  returned,  the  subscriber 
is  furnished  with  a  series  of  envelopes,  or  a  mite- 
box,  in  which  to  deposit  his  offerings. 

Taking  shares.  Where  the  support  of  a  mis- 
sionary is  assumed  or  other  special  work  under- 
taken, it  is  a  good  plan  to  divide  the  amount 
needed  into  shares  and  issue  certificates  of  stock. 
The  value  of  this  plan  was  demonstrated  half  a 
century  ago,  when  the  Congregational  Sunday- 
school  children  built  the  Morning  Star,  con- 
tributing the  entire  cost  in  ten-cent  shares. 
There  are  many  still  living  who  attribute  their 
first  interest  in  missions  to  part-ownership  in 
the  little  vessel,  and  still  cherish  the  worn  and 
152 


THE    MONEY    PROBLEM 


faded  certificates  issued  to  subscribers  years 
ago.  That  the  share  plan  is  still  workable  is 
proved  by  the  experience  of  the  Thirteenth 
Street  Presbyterian  Church  of  New  York  City. 
A  few  years  ago,  being  in  need  of  $850  for  the 
support  of  a  missionary,  a  blackboard  was 
divided  into  one  hundred  and  seventy  squares, 
each  one  representing  ten  cents  a  week,  or  $5  a 
year.  This  was  displayed  at  the  church  prayer- 
meeting,  and  the  members  asked  to  take  the 
shares.  As  each  share  was  taken  an  X  was 
placed  in  a  square.  In  less  than  an  hour  every 
square  was  filled,  the  whole  amount  having  been 
quickly  and  enthusiastically  promised.  In  an- 
other church  where  the  share  plan  was  used,  the 
unique  idea  was  conceived  of  making  the  shares 
equivalent  to  the  salary  of  the  missionary  for 
one  day. 

The  treasurer.  The  success  of  every  system 
of  collecting  funds  depends  largely  upon  the 
committee  in  charge.  The  treasurer,  espe- 
cially, must  thoroughly  understand  his  business. 
Upon  him  devolves  the  duty  of  keeping  strict 
accounts,  making  clear  and  accurate  reports, 
and  preventing  payments  from  becoming  irreg- 
ular. Reminding  people  of  their  obligations 
153 


HOLDING    THE    ROPES 


and  keeping  them  up  to  their  promises  is  the 
most  difficult  part  of  the  task.  This,  however, 
can  be  easily  accomplished  by  issuing  a  report  in 
which  numbers  appear  instead  of  names.  This 
plan  was  successfully  tried  in  the  Christian  En- 
deavor Society  of  the  First  Presbyterian 
Church,  Springfield,  Ohio.  When  the  pledge- 
cards  were  signed  they  were  handed  at  once  to 
the  treasurer,  who  entered  them  on  his  books, 
and  assigned  a  special  number  to  each.  Sets 
of  envelopes  were  then  given  out,  bearing  these 
numbers  instead  of  the  names.  At  the  end  of 
the  term  (the  pledges  called  for  six  monthly 
payments)  the  treasurer  mimeographed  a  re- 
port, showing  what  each  number  had  pledged 
and  paid  in,  and  sent  a  copy  to  each  member  of 
the  society.  As  no  one  knew  the  identity  of  the 
numbers  save  the  treasurer  and  the  individuals 
to  whom  they  had  been  assigned,  no  exception 
was  taken  to  the  publicity  of  the  published 
report ;  but  those  who  were  in  arrears  promptly 
paid  what  they  owed. 


154 


THE    MONEY    PROBLEM 


REPORT  OF  Y.  P.  S.  C.  E.  MISSIONARY 
FUND 

TERM    ENDING   JUNE    30,    1900 


Amount 

Total 

Total 

Number 

Pledgbd  PER 

Amount 

Amount 

Month 

Pledged 

Paid 

1 

$0.25 

$1.50 

$1.50 

2 

50 

3.00 

3.00 

3 

10 

60 

60 

4 

1.00 

6.00 

8.00 

5 

8 

48 

60 

6 

5 

30 

30 

7 

3.00 

18.00 

18.00 

8 

25 

1.50 

50 

9 

0 

0 

2.00 

10 

10 

60 

0 

11 

15 

90 

90 

12 

60 

3.60 

3.60 

Totals   .  . 

$6.08 

$36.48 

$39.00 

Amount  pledged 
Amount  paid,  not  pledged 
Amount  pledged,  not  paid 
Total  amount  received 


$36.48 

4.12 

1.60 

39.00 


R- 


Trea&urer. 


155 


X 

practical  Morfe  for  /HMs9ionar£  Societies 

A  missionary  society,  to  attain  the  highest 
ideals  of  efficiency,  should  have  both  food  and 
exercise.  In  spiritual  growth  as  well  as  phys- 
ical, these  two  things  are  essential  to  perfect 
development.  Yet  in  many  societies  this  fact 
is  totally  ignored.  Food  of  the  best  quality, 
served  in  the  most  appetizing  manner,  is  pro- 
vided in  abundance,  but  rarely,  if  ever,  is  there 
exercise  enough  to  make  it  digest  well.  For  this 
reason  many  a  society  that  might  be  large  and 
active  is  small  and  weak,  and  in  a  state  of 
lethargy  from  which  it  seems  impossible  to 
arouse  it. 

In  the  old  days  God  greatly  blessed  the  work 
of  willing  hands  and  put  a  high  value  upon  it. 
It  is  a  significant  fact  that  in  the  strongest  Old 
Testament  texts  about  consecration  the  mar- 
ginal reading  of  the  word  is  "  fill  the  hand." 
Thus,  Moses  says,  in  Exodus  xxxii :  29,  "  Fill 

156 


MISSIONARY    SOCIETIES 


your  hands  to-day  to  the  Lord,  that  He  may  be- 
stow a  blessing  upon  you  this  day,"  and  David 
asks,  in  I.  Chronicles  xxix:  5,  "Who,  then,  is 
willing  to  fill  his  hand  this  day  unto  the  Lord?  " 
In  the  building  of  the  tabernacle  there  was  need 
not  only  of  gold,  silver,  and  precious  stones, 
fragrant  woods,  sweet  spices,  and  anointing 
oils,  but  of  the  blue  and  purple  and  scarlet,  the 
fine  linen  and  the  goats'  hair,  which  the  wise- 
hearted  women  spun  with  their  hands.  In  the 
building  of  the  spiritual  Kingdom  of  our  Lord 
to-day  there  is  a  place  for  the  work  of  the  hands 
as  well  as  of  the  heart  and  brain. 

There  are  thousands  of  societies  within  the 
Church — women's,  young  people's,  and  chil- 
dren's— that  are  already  rendering  noble  serv- 
ice along  the  line  of  practical  work  for  missions, 
but  there  are  thousands  of  others  that  are  neg- 
lecting it.  In  the  hope  of  enlisting  these,  the 
following  plans  are  outlined. 

HOME    MISSIONARY   BOXES 

Sending  boxes   of  clothing,   table-linen,   and 
bedding   to   home   missionaries   is    such   an   im- 
portant  part   of   the  work   that   every   society 
should  have  a  share  in  it.     Supplies  of  this  kind 
157 


HOLDING    THE    ROPES 


are  most  acceptable  to  these  overworked  and 
underpaid  servants  of  the  Church,  and  in  many 
cases  are  an  absolute  necessity  to  them.  The 
salaries  they  receive  are  usually  inadequate  un- 
less supplemented  by  a  well-filled  box. 

By  applying  to  its  denominational  Board  of 
Home  Missions  any  society  can  secure  the  name 
of  a  missionary  in  need  of  such  assistance,  to- 
gether with  a  list  of  things  needed,  the  number 
in  the  family,  measurements  for  clothing,  and 
sizes  for  hats  and  shoes.  Filling  such  a  box  is 
not  only  a  great  pleasure  and  a  sacred  privilege, 
but  also  a  solemn  obligation  which  should  not  bo 
carelessly  assumed.  Sore  disappointment,  and 
in  some  cases  bitter  suffering,  has  resulted  from 
societies  undertaking  such  work  and  doing  it 
inadequately.  The  Home  Mission  Monthly  re- 
cently published  two  letters  which  illustrate  this. 
One  was  from  a  minister  in  a  section  of  the  West 
where  the  winters  are  very  cold.  He  had  asked 
for  a  coat  and  overcoat,  but  the  church  was  un- 
able to  provide  these  because  it  was  sending  out 
five  other  boxes  at  the  same  time!  Most  of  the 
articles  sent  were  second  hand,  and  notwith- 
standing the  careful  measurements  given,  many 
of  them  were  much  too  small  to  be  of  use.  Yet 
158 


MISSIONARY    SOCIETIES 


the  missionary  adds :  "  We  are  extremely  thank- 
ful for  what  has  been  given,  and  have  so  in- 
formed the  givers." 

The  other  letter  came  from  the  wife  of  a  mis- 
sionary who  had  felt  obliged  to  give  up  his  work 
because  of  the  impossibility  of  supporting  his 
family  on  the  salary  received.  At  the  urgent 
request  of  the  Presbytery,  however,  he  con- 
sented to  remain  and  ask  for  a  box,  hoping 
that,  with  its  assistance,  he  could  keep  the  wolf 
from  the  door.  But,  alas !  when  it  came  it 
proved  to  be  of  little  value.  With  the  exception 
of  a  small  list  of  bedding  and  a  few  articles  of 
underwear,  everything  in  it  was  not  only  second 
hand,  but  so  much  worn  and  soiled  as  to  be  unfit 
for  use.  Besides  this,  many  things  were  too 
small  by  several  sizes.     The  writer  adds: 

I  trust  you  will  not  think  we  are  complaining  at  all, 
for  we  are  not;  but  we  are  very  much  disappointed,  and 
the  children  had  looked  forward  with  so  much  pleasure  to 
the  box  for  their  new  clothes,  and  not  one  thing  for 
them.  We  don't  know  what  we  are  to  do,  as  our  salary 
is  so  small  that  we  haven't  money  to  get  necessary  cloth- 
ing. Do  not  understand  me  to  say  that  I  object  to  a 
part  of  it  being  second  hand.  Anything  that  is  good, 
and  can  be  made  over  for  myself  or  the  children,  I  would 
gladly  receive.  I  suppose  the  ladies  did  the  best  they 
could,  and  I  have  thanked  them  for  their  kindness. 


159 


HOLDING    THE    ROPES 


In  marked  contrast  to  these  inadequate  and 
disappointing  boxes  are  the  countless  well-filled 
ones  that  are  a  source  of  great  delight  and  un- 
told comfort  to  their  recipients.  To  be  ideal, 
a  box  should  contain  not  only  every  article 
asked  for  by  the  missionary,  correct  in  measure- 
ment, and  either  new  or  only  slightly  worn,  but 
also  a  roll  of  rag-carpet,  books  for  every  mem- 
ber of  the  family,  candy  and  toys  for  the  chil- 
dren, and  little  things  to  brighten  the  home — a 
picture  to  hang  on  the  wall,  a  bright  bit  of 
drapery  for  the  mantel,  a  new  cover  for  the 
couch-cushion,  an  embroidered  centerpiece  or  a 
dainty  bit  of  china  for  the  tea-table.  Some  so- 
cieties have  a  beautiful  custom  of  putting  an 
envelope  containing  a  bank-note  into  the  vest 
pocket  of  the  missionary's  suit  and  pinning 
another  to  the  dress  of  his  wife. 

In  societies  where  box  work  is  new,  or  the  in- 
terest in  it  lagging,  it  is  a  good  plan  to  have 
some  one  read  "  God's  Box,"  "  The  Box  from 
St.  Mark's,"  or  some  similar  story,  showing  the 
need  of  such  work  and  the  blessings  it  carries 
with  it.  Another  good  plan  in  vogue  in  many 
societies  is  to  display  the  contents  of  the  box  at 
the  mid-week  prayer-service  shortly  before  it  is 
160 


MISSIONARY    SOCIETIES 


packed.  This  not  only  serves  to  create  an  in- 
terest in  the  box  and  the  missionary  to  whom  it 
is  going,  but  also  prepares  the  way  for  a  more 
intelligent  interest  in  the  letter  of  acknowledg- 
ment that  sooner  or  later  will  be  received. 

Boxes  should  be  sent  by  freight,  prepaid,  and 
fully  covered  by  insurance.  Neglect  of  the  lat- 
ter point  is  likely  to  result  in  serious  loss.  A 
well-filled  box,  valued  at  more  than  $200,  sent 
out  by  a  society  that  neglected  to  insure  it, 
was  completely  destroyed  in  a  wreck.  All  that 
could  be  collected  from  the  railroad  company 
was  $20 — less  than  one-tenth  of  its  value. 

Boxes  of  clothing  somewhat  different  from 
the  foregoing  are  very  acceptable  in  home  mis- 
sionary schools,  especially  among  the  freedmen 
of  the  South,  where  it  is  often  a  problem  to  pro- 
vide clothing  for  students  too  poor  to  buy  it 
for  themselves.  Second-hand  shoes  and  gar- 
ments of  all  kinds,  too  much  worn  to  be  sent  to 
a  home  missionary  family,  can  be  utilized  here. 
"  We  can  use  anything  }rou  are  pleased  to  send," 
writes  the  superintendent  of  one  of  these 
schools ;  "  shoes,  pieces  of  carpet,  small  pieces 
for  quilts,  anything  along  the  line  of  house- 
furnishing  or  wearing  apparel.     We  have  needy 

161 


HOLDING    THE    ROPES 


boys,  ranging  from  six  to  eighteen ;  girls  like- 
wise. They  are  taught  in  the  sewing-classes  to 
mend,  darn,  cut,  and  fit,  and  do  all  kinds  of 
plain  sewing.  The  pupils  will  make  over  ma- 
terial, and  find  use  for  whatever  is  sent." 

DISTRIBUTING   GOOD    LITERATURE 

In  Christian  homes  throughout  the  land  there 
are  large  quantities  of  books  and  papers  lying 
idle  that  would  be  invaluable  to  the  missionary 
in  the  field.  Collecting  and  distributing  these 
is  excellent  work  for  any  society.  In  an  ad- 
dress recently  delivered  at  Northfield,  the  Rev. 
Charles  W.  Gordon  ("  Ralph  Connor")  said: 

I  believe  in  literature.  I  used  to  carry  in  my  saddle- 
bags loads  of  illustrated  papers  and  magazines,  and  all 
the  miners'  shacks  were  decorated  with  them.  They  were 
always  glad  to  see  me  with  that  pile  at  my  back.  In  our 
country  [Canada]  we  owe  a  very  great  deal  to  an  or- 
ganization which  was  set  in  motion  by  Lady  Aberdeen — 
the  "  Aberdeen  Society,"  which  gathers  magazines  from 
all  the  towns  and  cities  in  eastern  Canada,  and  sends 
them  out  to  missionaries  and  others  in  the  West. 

Supplies  of  literature  for  distribution  can  be 
obtained  by  public  notices  from  the  pulpit,  sup- 
plemented by  private  solicitation.     Everything 
sent  in  should  be  carefully  sorted,  and  all  that  is 
162 


MISSIONARY    SOCIETIES 


worthless  or  hurtful  in  tendency  be  cast  aside 
and  burned.  Books  not  in  good  condition 
should  be  carefully  mended,  and  all  that  are 
worn  or  faded  in  appearance  be  brightened  by 
the  addition  of  neat  covers  of  percaline  or  cam- 
bric in  various  tints  and  shades. 

Part  of  this  literature  may  be  reserved  for 
city  missionary  work,  but  the  bulk  of  it  should 
be  sent  to  needy  portions  of  the  great  home 
missionary  field.  A  box  containing  forty  or 
fifty  books  suitable  for  a  Sunday-school  library, 
sent  out  West  or  down  South,  would  be  a  great 
help  to  some  struggling  little  Sunday-school,  es- 
pecially if  it  is  in  a  district  destitute  of  good 
reading-matter.  One  society  that  sent  out  sev- 
eral such  libraries  found  that  they  had  been  the 
means  of  keeping  three  Sunday-schools  open  all 
the  winter  in  a  region  where  no  other  religious 
services  were  held.  It  had  been  customary  to 
close  the  schools  for  several  months  each  year 
on  account  of  the  severity  of  the  weather,  but 
such  was  the  eagerness  of  the  people  to  read  the 
books  that  they  were  willing  to  brave  both 
storm  and  cold  in  order  to  obtain  them. 

Boxes  of  papers  and  magazines  are,  as  Ralph 
Connor  says,  of  great  service  to  missionaries  in 
163 


HOLDING    THE    ROPES 


rough  mining  districts  and  on  the  frontier.  The 
address  of  some  worker  to  whom  they  may  he 
sent  can  be  obtained  by  writing  to  the  denomi- 
national Boards  of  Home  Missions,  or  to  the 
headquarters  of  the  American  Sunday-school 
Union  in  Philadelphia.  Mailing  copies  of 
papers  or  magazines  to  individual  addresses 
regularly  once  a  week  or  once  a  month  is  a  very 
helpful  plan.  Names  and  addresses  will  be 
gladly  furnished  by  any  home  missionary.  One 
young  girl  to  whom  a  copy  of  the  Herald  and 
Presbyter  was  sent  every  week  wrote  that  it 
was  the  only  paper  received  in  her  neighborhood, 
and  that  it  was  eagerly  read  from  cover  to 
cover,  not  only  in  her  own  home,  but  in  several 
others  to  which  it  was  loaned  in  turn.  Those 
who  have  a  wealth  of  literature  in  their  homes 
and  hear  the  postman's  knock  three  times  a 
day,  little  guess  of  the  dearth  of  reading-mat- 
ter in  these  less-favored  homes,  nor  of  the  inter- 
est and  pleasure  excited  by  the  advent  of  a  piece 
of  mail-matter  regularly  once  a  week. 

FOREIGN    MISSIONARY    BOXES 

Sending  boxes  of  small  articles,  suitable  for 
Christmas  gifts  and  school  prizes,  to  mission- 

164 


MISSIONARY    SOCIETIES 


aries  in  the  foreign  field  is  fascinating  work, 
but  not  always  advisable  on  account  of  the  ex- 
pense involved.  The  cost  of  transportation  is 
so  heavy  that  it  frequently  exceeds  the  value  of 
the  contents  of  the  box.  Thus,  a  missionary  in 
India  reports  having  paid  $30  freight  on  a  box 
worth  much  less  than  that  amount,  and  a  worker 
in  Japan  tells  of  receiving  one  containing  a  lot 
of  old  Sunday-school  quarterlies,  a  few  picture 
papers,  and  some  antiquated  Sunday-school 
books,  such  as  her  father  read  when  a  child. 
Nothing  could  be  used  excepting  a  few  of  the 
picture  papers,  yet  the  freight  amounted  to 
several  dollars. 

So  grievous  has  been  the  experience  of  the 
missionaries,  and  so  serious  the  waste  of  money, 
that  many  missionary  leaders  discourage  the 
idea  of  sending  such  boxes  at  all.  Others,  know- 
ing that  there  are  societies  in  America  that  need 
the  stimulus  of  such  work  and  missionaries  on 
the  field  that  need  such  help,  advocate  it 
strongly.  Perhaps  the  wisest  course  is  not  to 
omit  it  entirely,  but  to  do  it  in  so  judicious  and 
economical  a  way  that  it  will  cease  to  be  un- 
profitable. Societies  undertaking  such  work 
should  give  careful  attention  to  the  following 
165 


HOLDING    THE    ROPES 


directions,  which  the  writer  is  enabled  to  give 
after  an  extended  correspondence  with  the  va- 
rious Women's  Boards. 

1.  Do  not  take  money  from  the  treasury, 
either  to  purchase  articles  for  the  box  or  to  pay 
the  cost  of  transportation.  Many  of  the  things 
called  for  can  be  provided  without  cost  from 
materials  found  in  every  household,  and,  as 
large  and  expensive  things  are  less  useful  than 
small  and  inexpensive  ones,  those  that  must  be 
purchased  can  easily  be  secured  as  donations 
from  the  members  of  the  society.  A  very  good 
plan  is  to  give  a  mission-box  party  and  make 
the  admission  any  article  needed — a  small  toy, 
a  box  of  marbles,  a  towel,  or  a  spool  of  thread. 

2.  Do  not  send  worn-out  articles  or  old  books. 
These  are  quite  useless,  as  are  also  garments  of 
any  kind  unless  specially  asked  for  by  the  mis- 
sionary. Things  that  melt  should  never  be  sent 
to  warm  countries  unless  protected  in  some  way. 
One  box  that  went  to  India  was  a  total  loss,  be- 
cause it  contained  a  large  quantity  of  soap, 
which  melted  and  spoiled  the  entire  contents. 

3.  Do  not  forget  that  the  needs  of  the  fields 
differ  greatly.  Things  that  are  useful  in  one 
country  are  comparatively   useless  in  another. 

166 


MISSIONARY    SOCIETIES 


The  following  articles,  however,  seem  to  be 
wanted  everywhere:  Smal1  work-bags,  needles, 
pins,  needle-books,  thimbles,  scissors,  spool  cot- 
ton, lead  and  slate  pencils,  pens,  crayons, 
erasers,  small  note-books,  writing-pads,  beads 
of  all  kinds,  picture-books,  scrap-books,  Christ- 
mas-tree decorations,  balls,  marbles,  tops, 
knives,  mouth-organs,  remnants  of  pretty  calico 
or  other  material  two  or  three  yards  in  length ; 
cut  and  basted  patchwork  four  or  five  inches 
square,  for  teaching  the  children  to  sew ;  hand- 
kerchiefs, towels,  combs,  brushes,  and  cakes  of 
soap,  each  wrapped  in  a  wash-cloth. 

Dolls  are  .in  universal  demand,  and  are 
greatly  prized  in  every  missionary  land.  They 
should  be  about  nine  inches  in  length  and  strong 
enough  to  stand  fairly  rough  handling.  Those 
sent  to  Oriental  countries  should  have  dark  hair 
and  eyes,  as  light  hair  and  blue  eyes  are  not  ad- 
mired in  either  dolls  or  people.  "  I  don't  want 
this  light-haired  dolly,"  sobbed  a  little  girl  in 
India ;  "  only  ugly  old  women  have  light  hair !  " 
The  dolls  should  be  simply  dressed  in  clothes 
that  will  wash,  and  that  can  be  taken  off  and 
put  on  again.  They  should,  too,  be  dressed  in 
gay  colors  (the  gayer  the  better),  but  never  in 

167 


HOLDING    THE    ROPES 


white,  as  in  many  lands  this  is  the  symbol  of 
mourning.  They  should  all  be  about  the  same 
grade,  for  there  are  never  enough  handsome 
ones  in  elaborate  costumes  to  go  around,  and 
two  or  three  children  can  not  be  favored  above 
the  rest.  Tiny  dolls,  not  more  than  a  finger  in 
length,  dressed  in  ribbon,  are  regarded  as  great 
prizes  by  the  kindergarten  children. 

Picture-cards  of  all  kinds  are  also  in  great 
demand,  and  can  be  used  in  unlimited  quantities. 
It  is  usually  best  to  send  them  by  mail,  carefully 
and  strongly  tied,  and  with  the  postage  fully 
paid.  Care  should  be  taken  to  send  nothing  ob- 
jectionable. Missionaries  can  not  use  advertise- 
ments for  liquor  or  tobacco,  comic  cards  which 
might  be  misunderstood,  nude  figures,  or  pic- 
tures of  women  in  corsets  or  low-neck  dresses. 
Where  there  is  writing  on  the  back  of  a  card, 
clean  white  paper  should  be  pasted  over  it. 

4.  Select  for  packing  a  strong  wooden  box, 
made  of  boards  at  least  one-half  or  three-quar- 
ters of  an  inch  thick,  free  from  knot-holes  and 
well  joined.  Scrape  off  all  marks,  either  of  ink 
or  paper  pasted  on,  and  line  it  with  tar  paper 
or  some  waterproof  material.  Table  oilcloth  is 
recommended,  because  it  is  so  useful  afterward. 
168 


MISSIONARY    SOCIETIES 


Pack  the  box  closely  and  carefully,  so  that  noth- 
ing can  rattle  around  and  be  broken.  Do  not 
fill  empty  spaces  and  corners  with  old  paper, 
but  use  instead  small  towels,  dusters,  wash- 
cloths, or  remnants  of  material  of  any  kind. 

5.  Send  the  box,  not  direct  to  the  mission 
field,  but  to  the  headquarters  of  the  Mission 
Board,  where  it  will  become  part  of  a  general 
shipment  and  be  forwarded  at  much  less  cost 
than  if  sent  alone.  Accompanying  the  box 
should  be  a  letter  sent  by  mail,  containing  the 
receipt  from  the  railroad  or  express  company, 
and  a  list  of  its  contents  with  estimated  values, 
for  use  in  the  custom-houses  of  foreign  ports. 
All  expenses  of  transportation  and  duty  should 
be  met  by  those  who  send  the  box.  The  slender 
salary  of  the  missionary  must  not  be  allowed 
even  to  share  in  this  burden.  Some  Mission 
Boards  wisely  refuse  to  forward  boxes  that  are 
not  prepaid,  unless  an  order  is  shown  from  the 
missionary.  The  cost  of  sending  is  usually 
made  up  of  three  items:  1.  Transportation 
from  the  local  society  to  the  Mission  Board, 
which  must  be  prepaid.  2.  Transportation 
from  the  Mission  Board  to  the  missionary, 
which  can  be  paid  as  soon  as  notification  is  re- 

169 


HOLDING    THE    ROPES 


ceived  of  the  amount.  3.  Charges  for  duty, 
which  usually  can  only  be  met  at  the  other  end. 
To  make  the  gift  complete,  the  society  should 
ask  the  missionary  for  this  bill  and  make  re- 
imbursement as  soon  as  possible. 

This  work  undoubtedly  involves  a  great  deal 
of  time  and  trouble  and  no  little  expense,  yet  in 
some  fields  at  least,  it  is  work  that  pays.  "  Think 
of  the  help  to  the  missionaries,"  writes  a  worker 
in  India,  "  think  of  the  encouragement  to  the 
teacher  and  the  scholar,  and  be  not  weary  in  this 
grand  work,  making  people  on  both  sides  of  the 
globe  happier  and  better." 

WONDER-BAGS 

Filling  a  wonder-bag  is  delightful  work  for 
any  society  that  desires  to  brighten  the  life  of 
an  individual  missionary  or  a  missionary  fam- 
ily, either  on  the  home  or  foreign  field.  This 
consists  of  a  large  bag  filled  with  gifts  and  let- 
ters which  are  to  be  drawn  out,  not  all  at  once, 
but  at  certain  specified  times — once  or  twice  a 
week,  or  on  special  dates,  according  to  direc- 
tions. The  bag  itself  should  be  made  of  cre- 
tonne, denim,  or  canvas,  and  finished  with  draw- 
strings of  tape  or  ribbon.  As  it  will  be  useful 
170 


MISSIONARY    SOCIETIES 


afterward,  it  should  be  not  only  strong  and 
durable,  but  pretty  and  attractive.  Wrap  each 
gift  in  tissue  paper,  mark  it  with  the  name  of 
the  donor  and  tie  it  with  narrow  ribbon,  leaving 
one  end  long  enough  to  be  used  in  drawing  it 
out  of  the  bag.  Pack  the  parcels  carefully, 
placing  heavier  ones  at  the  bottom,  and  let  the 
long  ends  of  the  ribbons  hang  out  at  the  top. 
Gifts  appropriate  for  special  days,  such  as 
Christmas,  New  Year's,  Easter  Sunday,  Fourth 
of  July,  the  missionary's  birthday,  "  a  weary 
day,"  or  a  "  discouraged  day,"  may  be  desig- 
nated by  tiny  cards  attached  to  their  ribbons. 

The  California  Yearly  Meeting  of  Friends 
recently  sent  wonder-bags  to  their  missionaries 
in  the  Kotzebue  Mission  in  Northern  Alaska, 
wTho  receive  mail  but  once  a  year,  and  wrork  so 
much  of  the  time  in  cold  and  darkness.  Each 
bag  contained  fifty-two  articles,  one  of  which 
was  to  be  drawn  out  every  Wednesday,  at  the 
time  of  the  mid-week  service,  when  the  church  at 
home  is  remembering  them  in  prayer. 

In  selecting  gifts  for  a  wonder-bag  it  is  well 
to  remember  that  whatever  would  please  a  friend 
at  home  wrould  be  acceptable  to  the  missionary 
in  the  field.     There  seems  to  be  an  impression 

171 


HOLDING    THE    ROPES 


abroad  that  being  a  missionary  makes  one  so 
heavenly  minded  and  so  "  other-worldly  "  that 
the  love  of  the  beautiful  is  entirely  lost.  But 
this  is  not  so.  "  Do  send  me  a  pretty  blue 
dress,"  wrote  the  wife  of  a  home  missionary  who 
had  been  asked  to  tell  frankly  just  what  she 
longed  for ;  "  I  am  so  tired  of  the  dull  browns 
and  somber  blacks  that  come  every  year  in  the 
box."  People  seem  to  think,  too,  that  mission- 
aries care  for  nothing  but  religious  literature. 
Some  years  ago,  being  in  search  of  a  bright, 
new  book  for  a  friend  in  India — something  that 
would  rest  and  refresh  her,  and  take  her  mind 
off  the  depressing  sights  and  sounds  of  her 
work — the  writer  appealed  to  a  clerk  in  a  book- 
store for  help.  She  thought  a  while,  and  then 
brought  out  a  copy  of  "  Pilgrim's  Progress," 
saying  she  could  think  of  nothing  else  appro- 
priate unless  it  was  a  Bible !  "  Pilgrim's  Prog- 
ress "  was  good,  and  the  missionary  loved  it 
dearly,  but  for  the  purpose  in  view  "  Mrs. 
Wiggs  of  the  Cabbage  Patch,"  with  its  whole- 
some fun  and  sunny  philosophy,  would  have 
been  far  better. 


172 


XI 

WLho'8  TKIlbo  in  /HMssfons 

One  of  the  serious  hindrances  to  the  cause  of 
missions  is  the  deplorable  ignorance  which  pre- 
vails in  the  Church  concerning  great  mission- 
aries and  their  notable  achievements.  The  large 
majority  of  professing  Christians  do  not  even 
know  the  names  of  the  great  heroes  of  the  Cross 
that  have  gone  forth,  at  the  command  of  Christ, 
to  plant  the  Gospel  in  heathen  lands.  "  Every 
boy  of  fifteen  is  familiar  with  the  achievements 
of  army  and  navy  heroes,"  said  S.  Earl  Taylor 
at  the  Ecumenical  Conference,  "  but  if  a  com- 
pany of  young  people  is  asked  to  name  the  he- 
roes of  the  Cross,  embarrassing  silence  follows." 

Missionary  heroes,  with  perhaps  a  few  excep- 
tions, have  never  been  the  world's  heroes ;  but 
they  are  God's  heroes,  and  the  children  of  the 
Church  should  be  taught  at  least  their  names. 
To  assist  in  this,  the  following  list  of  questions 
has  been  prepared,  the  answers  to  which  are  the 
173 


HOLDING    THE    ROPES 


names  of  great  missionaries.  These  questions 
can  be  used  in  many  ways,  among  them  the  fol- 
lowing : 

1.  Once  a  month,  on  Missionary  Sunday, 
have  the  children  of  the  Sabbath-school  learn 
from  three  to  five  of  the  questions  and  answers, 
and  at  the  end  of  the  year  conduct  a  review  of 
the  whole.  If  there  is  time,  a  short,  bright 
story  might  be  told  about  each  missionary,  and 
one  of  his  famous  sayings  be  committed  to 
memory. 

2.  Print  or  mimeograph  the  questions  on  slips 
of  paper,  distribute  them  in  the  Sunday-school 
or  young  people's  society,  and  offer  a  mission- 
ary curio  or  book  to  the  one  handing  in  the  best 
list  of  answers  by  a  given  date.  This  is  an  ex- 
cellent plan  for  pastors  and  Sunday-school 
superintendents. 

3.  For  a  missionary  social  prepare  lists  of 
questions,  with  spaces  for  answers  opposite,  and 
give  one  to  each  guest,  together  with  a  pencil. 
At  the  end  of  a  specified  time  (half  an  hour  or 
more)  read  the  correct  answers  and  have  the 
guests  correct  their  papers.  If  desired,  a  suit- 
able prize  may  be  awarded  to  the  victor.  An- 
other way  is  to  select  as  many  of  the  questions 

174 


WHO'S    WHO    IN    MISSIONS 

as  there  are  persons  present,  and  write  them  on 
cards  tied  with  narrow  ribbon.  Pin  these  on  the 
guests,  and  have  them  make  lists  of  the  mission- 
aries represented.  Paper  and  pencils  must,  of 
course,  be  provided  for  this  purpose. 

4.  A  very  instructive  game,  appropriate  both 
for  the  mission  band  and  the  home  circle  on  Sun- 
day afternoon,  can  be  made  by  writing  fifty  of 
the  most  important  questions  on  plain  white 
cards.  In  playing  the  game,  seat  the  children 
around  the  table  in  a  circle  and  deal  out  the 
cards  until  each  has  the  same  number — two, 
three,  or  four,  as  seems  best.  Place  the  remain- 
der of  the  pack  on  the  table,  face  downward. 
Let  A  (the  first  player)  ask  B  (the  player  on 
his  right)  the  question  on  one  of  the  cards.  If 
B  can  answer  correctly,  he  takes  the  card  and  A 
draws  another  from  the  pack.  If  B  fails  to  an- 
swer, A  passes  the  question  to  C  (the  next 
player  on  the  right),  and  so  on  around  the  cir- 
cle. Whoever  gives  the  answer  gets  the  card. 
The  one  who  holds  the  most  cards  at  the  end 
wins  the  game.  Another  way  to  use  the  game  is 
to  choose  a  leader  and  give  him  all  the  cards. 
Then  let  him  ask  the  questions,  one  at  a  time, 
and  call  for  volunteer  answers.  The  one  an- 
175 


HOLDING    THE    ROPES 


swering  first  gets  the  card.  It  is  sometimes  a 
good  plan  to  conduct  the  game  like  a  spelling- 
match. 

QUESTIONS  ON  AFRICA 

Who  was  the  first  missionary  to  South  Africa?  George 
Schmidt,  the  Moravian  Brother. 

What  skeptical  Dutch  physician  became  a  Christian 
and  went  to  Africa  as  a  missionary  when  over  fifty  years 
of  age?     Theodosius  Vanderkemp. 

What  great  missionary  was  the  means  of  attracting 
David  Livingstone  to  Africa?  Robert  Moffat,  the  "  Hero 
of  Kuruman." 

What  schoolmaster,  in  seven  years'  time,  formed  the 
rescued  slaves  of  Regent's  Town  into  a  model  Chris- 
tain  community?    William  Johnson,  of  Sierra  Leone. 

Who  discovered  Kenia,  the  highest  mountain  in  Africa? 
Johann  Ludwig  Krapf,  a  German  missionary. 

Who  discovered  Kilimanjaro,  the  great  snow-capped 
peak  of  equatorial  Africa?  Johann  Rebmann,  a  German 
missionary. 

Who  was  the  greatest  discoverer  of  the  nineteenth  cen- 
tury?   David  Livingstone,  a  medical  missionary. 

Who  was  the  first  black  bishop  of  Africa  in  modern 
times?     Samuel  Adjai  Crowther,  Bishop  of  the  Niger. 

Who  was  the  first  leader  of  the  Universities'  Mission  to 
Central  Africa?  Charles  Frederick  Mackenzie,  the 
"  Martyr  of  the  Zambesi." 

Whom  did  Stanley  pronounce  "  the  greatest  missionary 
since  Livingstone "  ?  Alexander  M.  Mackay,  the  en- 
gineer-missionary. 

Whose  last  words  were:  "Tell  the  king  that  I  die  for 
the   Baganda,   and   purchase  the  road   to   Uganda   with 

176 


WHO'S    WHO    IN    MISSIONS 

my  life  "  ?  James  Hannington,  the  "  Martyr-bishop  of 
Uganda." 

What  heroic  French  missionary  has  labored  for  more 
than  forty  years  among  the  Basutas  on  the  Upper  Zam- 
besi?    Francois  Coillard. 

What  family  gave  to  Kongoland  six  of  its  members, 
each  of  whom  lies  in  an  African  grave?  The  Comber 
family. 

To  what  missionary  on  the  Kongo  were  pentecostal 
blessings  granted  when  he  stopped  preaching  the  Law 
and  began  to  proclaim  the  Gospel?  Henry  Richards, 
the  "  Hero  of  Banza  Manteke." 

What  world  evangelist  who  preached  the  Gospel  in 
every  continent  endeavored  to  establish  self-supporting 
missions  in  Africa?  Bishop  William  Taylor,  the  "Flam- 
ing Torch." 

What  African  ruler  is  a  strict  prohibitionist — "  prob- 
ably the  only  royal  prohibitionist  in  the  Dark  Conti- 
nent"? Khama,  the  "Temperance  Apostle  of  South 
Africa." 


Who  translated  the  first  Bible  printed  in  America? 
John  Eliot,  the  "  Apostle  of  the  Red  Men." 

What  prominent  colonial  family,  through  five  suc- 
cessive generations,  engaged  in  mission  work  among 
the  Indians?    The  Mayhew  family. 

Who  was  the  most  gifted  native  missionary  of  the 
eighteenth  century?  Samson  Occum,  the  Indian 
preacher  of  New  England. 

What  missionary  to  the  Indians  gave  the  longest  and 
most  effective  term  of  service?  David  Zeisberger,  the 
"Apostle  to  the  Delawares." 

What  devout  young  missionary  to  the  Indians  spent 

177 


HOLDING    THE    ROPES 


much  time  in  the  woods  alone  with  God,  interceding  for 
his  work?  David  Brainerd,  the  "Missionary  of  the  Wil- 
derness." 

Who  invented  the  Cree  syllabic  alphabet,  by  means  of 
which  thousands  of  Indians  have  been  taught  to  read 
the  Word  of  God?  James  Evans,  the  "Apostle  of  the 
North." 

WTho  opened  the  first  wagon-road  across  the  Rocky 
Mountains?  Marcus  Whitman,  the  "Hero-martyr  of 
Oregon." 

WTho  established  a  model  village  of  Christian  Indians  in 
Alaska  ?     William  Duncan,  the  "  Hero  of  Metlakahtla." 

Who  founded  missions  in  Alaska?  Dr.  Sheldon  Jack- 
son, now  United  States  Commissioner  of  Education  in 
Alaska. 

Who  is  the  first  native  missionary  to  Alaska?  Ed- 
ward Marsden,  a  Tsimshean  Indian. 

Who  has  greatly  enriched  missionary  literature  by  his 
stories  of  work  among  the  Cree  and  Salteaux  Indians? 
Egerton  R.  Young. 

What  famous  frontier  bishop  was  a  life-long  friend  of 
the  Indians  of  his  diocese?  Henry  Whipple,  the  first 
Bishop  of  Minnesota. 

What  Austrian  nobleman  of  the  seventeenth  century 
laid  aside  title  and  estates  to  become  a  missionary  to 
Dutch  Guiana?  Baron  Von  Welz,  the  "Apostle  to  the 
Gentiles." 

What  officer  of  the  Royal  English  Navy  was  a  pioneer 
missionary  to  two  continents?  Allen  Gardiner,  the 
"  Hero-martyr  of  South  America." 

Who  laid  the  foundations  of  Protestant  missions  in 
Mexico?     Melinda  Rankin. 


178 


WHO'S    WHO    IN    MISSIONS 


Who  baptized  the  first  Protestant  convert  in  China,  and 
ordained  the  first  native  Chinese  evangelist?  Robert 
Morrison,  the  "  Apostle  of  China." 

What  Scotch  shepherd  shared  with  Morrison  the  honor 
of  translating  the  entire  Bible  into  the  Chinese  tongue? 
William  Milne,  the  second  Protestant  missionary  to 
China. 

What  learned  missionary  to  China  served  as  Commo- 
dore Perry's  interpreter  on  his  famous  entry  into  Japan? 
S.  Wells  Williams,  author  of  "  The  Middle  Kingdom." 

What  early  missionary  to  China  obtained  a  government 
position  and  carried  on  a  great  work  at  his  own  expense? 
Karl  Giitzlaff. 

Who  "opened  China  at  the  point  of  his  surgeon's 
lancet "  ?  Peter  Parker,  the  first  medical  missionary 
to  China. 

Who  founded  the  "largest  mission  to  the  largest  mis- 
sion field  in  the  world "  ?  J.  Hudson  Taylor,  of  the 
China  Inland  Mission. 

What  Scotch  evangelist  spent  twenty  years  touring 
through  China  dressed  in  native  costume?  William  C. 
Burns. 

Who  established  the  first  Protestant  mission  in  Cen- 
tral China?     Griffith  John,  at  Hankow. 

Who  won  great  favor  for  medical  missions  in  China  by 
his  successful  treatment  of  the  wife  of  Li  Hung  Chang? 
John  Kenneth  Mackenzie,  the  "  Beloved  Physician  of 
Tien-tsin." 

Who  invented  a  system  of  characters  by  which  the 
blind  in  China  can  be  easily  taught  to  read?  William  H. 
Murray,  of  Peking. 

179 


HOLDING    THE    ROPES 


Who  spent  twenty  years  in  lonely  wanderings  among 
the  nomad  Mongols?  James  Gilmour,  the  "Hero  of 
Mongolia." 

Under  whose  leadership  has  Manchuria  become  one  of 
the  most  hopeful  fields  in  China?    John  Ross. 


Who  made  the  first  missionary  journey  to  preach  the 
Gospel  in  Europe?     The  apostle  Paul. 

Who  laid  the  foundations  of  Teutonic  literature  by  in- 
venting an  alphabet  and  translating  the  Bible?  Ulfilas, 
the  "  Apostle  to  the  Goths." 

What  soldier-missionary  became  the  "  Apostle  of  the 
Gauls  "  ?     Martin,  of  Tours. 

What  missionary  of  Scottish  birth  accomplished  the 
evangelization  of  Ireland?     Patrick,  of  Tara. 

What  missionary  of  Irish  birth  won  Scotland  for 
Christ?    Columba,  of  Iona. 

Whom  did  Gregory  the  Great  send  to  England  to 
Christianize  the  Anglo-Saxons?  Augustine,  of  Canter- 
bury. 

What  English  missionary  laid  the  foundations  of 
Christian  civilization  in  Germany?  Boniface,  the 
"  Apostle  of  Germany." 

Who  was  the  first  medical  missionary?  Anskar,  the 
"  Apostle  of  the  North." 

WThat  artist-missionary  painted  a  picture  of  the  Last 
Judgment  which  led  to  the  establishment  of  Christianity 
among  the  Slavs?  Methodius,  with  his  brother  Cyril, 
the  "  Apostles  of  the  Slavs." 

What  Scotch  pastor  of  an  English  church,  while  on  a 
vacation  in  Paris,  heard  a  Macedonian  cry  that  led  him 
to  establish  a  great  Protestant  mission  in  France? 
Robert  W.  McAll,  founder  of  the  McAll  Mission. 

180 


WHO'S    WHO    IN    MISSIONS 


INDIA 

Who  were  the  first  Protestant  missionaries  to  India? 
Bartholomew  Ziegenbalg  and  Henry  Pliitschau. 

Who  was  the  most  prominent  figure  in  India  during 
the  latter  half  of  the  eighteenth  century?  Christian 
Friedrieh  Schwartz,  the  "Councillor  of  Tan j ore." 

WTho  was  the  greatest  scholar  in  India  in  the  early  part 
of  the  ninetenth  century?  William  Carey,  the  "Father 
of  Organized  Missions." 

Who  composed  the  "  Serampore  Trio "  ?  William 
Carey,  Joshua  Marshman,  and  William  Ward. 

Who  was  the  first  woman  missionary  to  India?  Han- 
nah  Marshman. 

Who  is  called  the  greatest  of  American  missionaries  to 
foreign  lands?  Adoniram  Judson,  the  "Apostle  of 
Burma." 

Who  were  the  first  American  women  to  go  as  foreign 
missionaries?  Ann  Hazeltine  Judson  and  Harriet  At- 
wood  Newell. 

Who  wrote  the  greatest  of  all  missionary  hymns? 
Reignald  Heber,  Bishop  of  Calcutta. 

Who  was  the  most  eloquent  missionary  orator  of  the 
nineteenth  century?  Alexander  Duff,  pioneer  of  higher 
education  in  India. 

Who  was  the  first  American  physician  to  become  a 
medical  missionary?     Dr.  John  Scudder. 

Who  trained  so  many  native  girls  that  she  was  called 
the  "Mother  of  a  Thousand  Daughters"  in  Ceylon? 
Eliza  Agnew,  principal  of  Ooodooville  Seminary  for 
forty  years. 

Who  "  opened  the  zenanas  of  India  at  the  point  of 
an  embroidery  needle  "  ?     Hannah  Catherine  Mullens. 

Who  established  the  Indian  Witness,  one  of  the  most 

181 


HOLDING    THE    ROPES 


important  Christian  periodicals  of  India?  James  Mills 
Thoburn,  M.  E.  Bishop  of  India  and  Malaysia. 

Who  founded  the  first  woman's  college  in  India?  Isa- 
bella Thoburn,  at  Lucknow. 

Who  was  the  first  woman  to  go  as  a  medical  mission- 
ary?   Dr.  Clara  Swain,  of  Barielly,  India. 

Who  was  pastor  of  the  largest  Baptist  church  in  the 
world  at  the  close  of  the  nineteenth  century?  John 
Everett  Clough,  the  "  Hero  of  Ongole." 

What  veteran  missionary  is  called  "  The  Prince  of 
India's  Story-tellers "  ?  Jacob  Chamberlain,  of  the 
Arcot  Mission. 

What  American  missionary  who  contracted  leprosy  in 
India  is  devoting  her  life  to  the  lepers  of  Chandag? 
Mary  Reed. 

Who  has  the  most  remarkable  memory  of  any  woman 
in  the  world  ?  Pundita  Ramabai,  the  "  Hindu  Widows' 
Champion." 

THE    ISLANDS 

Who  was  the  founder  of  Godthaab,  the  capital  of 
Greenland?     Hans  Egede,  the  "Apostle  of  Greenland." 

What  chaplain  of  a  convict  colony  in  Australia  intro- 
duced Christianity  among  the  Maori  cannibals?  Samuel 
Marsden,  the  "  Apostle  of  New  Zealand." 

Whose  first  duty  on  the  mission  field  was  to  bury  the 
heads,  hands,  and  feet  of  eighty  victims  of  a  cannibal 
feast?    James  Calvert,  of  Fiji. 

WThat  missionary  is  said  to  have  won  the  greatest 
number  of  converts  to  Christ  of  any  since  the  days  of 
the  apostles  ?  John  Williams,  the  "  Apostle  of  the  South 
Seas." 

Whose  memorial  tablet  bears  these  words:  "When  he 
landed  in  1848  there  were  no  Christians  here;  when  he 

182 


WHO'S    WHO    IN    MISSIONS 

left  in  1873  there  were  no  heathens  "  ?  John  Geddie,  of 
Anietyum. 

Who  was  pastor  of  the  largest  church  in  the  world  in 
the  middle  of  the  nineteenth  century?  Titus  Coan,  of 
Hilo,  Hawaiian  Islands. 

Whom  did  Robert  Louis  Stevenson  wish  to  outlive, 
that  he  might  write  his  biography?  James  Chalmers,  the 
"Martyr  of  New  Guinea." 

Whose  diocese  in  the  South  Seas,  through  an  error  in 
transcribing,  was  the  largest  ever  assigned  to  one  bishop? 
George  Augustus  Selwyn,  Bishop  of  New  Zealand. 

What  Eton  schoolboy,  who  become  a  great  missionary, 
was  saved  from  a  tragic  death  by  Queen  Victoria?  John 
Coleridge  Patteson,  the  "  Martyr-bishop  of  Melanesia." 

Among  modern  missionaries,  whose  life  furnishes  the 
greatest  number  of  miraculous  deliverances  from  danger? 
John  G.  Paton,  the  "  Hero  of  the  New  Hebrides." 

WTho  celebrated  the  twelfth  anniversary  of  his  arrival 
on  the  mission  field  by  partaking  of  the  Lord's  Supper 
with  twelve  hundred  of  his  converts?  George  Leslie 
Mackay,  the  "  Hero  of  Formosa." 


Who  first  preached  the  Gospel  in  Japan?  Francis 
Xavier,  the  "  Apostle  of  the  Indies." 

Who  founded  the  Imperial  University  of  Tokio  and 
served  as  confidential  adviser  to  the  Japanese  govern- 
ment for  nearly  fifteen  years?  Guido  F.  Verbeck,  "A 
Man  Without  a  Country." 

Who  compiled  the  great  Japanese-English  Dictionary 
and  was  the  chief  translator  of  the  Japanese  Bible? 
James  C.  Hepburn,  the  first  medical  missionary  to 
Japan. 

WThat    native    Japanese,    educated    in    America,    was 

183 


HOLDING    THE    ROPES 


founder  of  the  Doshisha,  the  great  Christian  college  of 
Japan?     Joseph  Hardy  Neesiraa. 

MOHAMMEDAN    LANDS 

Who  was  the  first  missionary  to  the  Moslems?  Ray- 
mund  Lull. 

What  chaplain  of  the  East  India  Company  was  the 
first  missionary  to  Moslems  in  modern  times?  Henry 
Martyn,  in  Persia. 

Who  founded  a  famous  school  for  Nestorian  girls  at 
Urumia?    Fidelia  Fiske,  of  Persia. 

What  medical  missionary,  who  completed  the  transla- 
tion of  the  Arabic  Bible,  was  regarded  as  the  greatest 
Arabic  scholar  in  the  world?  Cornelius  Van  Dyck,  of 
Beirut,  Syria. 

What  missionary  to  Syria  gave  to  the  world  the  most 
important  and  trustworthy  of  all  books  on  the  Holy 
Land?  William  M.  Thomson,  author  of  the  "Land  and 
the  Book." 

WTho  is  the  first  woman  to  whom  permission  was 
granted  to  practise  medicine  in  the  Turkish  Empire? 
Mary  Pierson  Eddy,  medical  missionary  to  Syria. 

Who  founded  Robert  College,  the  great  Christian  Col- 
lege at  Constantinople?  Cyrus  Hamlin,  missionary  to 
Turkey. 

What  daughter  of  an  English  archbishop  devoted  her 
life  to  work  among  the  children  of  Cairo?  Mary 
Whateley,  the  "Lady  of  the  Book." 

What  champion  bicycle-rider  and  eminent  scholar  of 
Great  Britain  founded  a  mission  to  the  Moslems  of 
Arabia?     Ion  Keith-Falconer,  the  "Martyr  of  Aden." 

MISCELLANEOUS 

What  ancestor  of  the  present  Empress  of  India  was 
184 


WHO'S    WHO    IN    MISSIONS 

the  first  Protestant  king  to  support  and  originate  mis- 
sions to  the  heathen?     Frederic  IV.,  of  Denmark. 

Who  published  the  first  regular  missionary  periodical? 
Augustus  Herman  Francke,  professor  in  the  University 
of  Halle. 

Who  laid  the  foundations  for  the  missionary  activity 
of  the  Moravian  Church?  Count  Zinzendorf,  the 
"  Father  of  Modern  Missions." 

Who  conducted  a  prayer-meeting  in  the  shelter  of  a 
haystack  that  resulted  in  the  birth  of  the  first  Ameri- 
can missionary  society?  Samuel  J.  Mills,  the  "Father 
of  American  Missions." 

WThat  American  college  president  exerted  so  strong 
an  influence  for  missions  that  more  than  seventy  of  her 
pupils  became  foreign  missionaries?  Mary  Lyon,  of 
Mount  Holyoke. 

What  popular  English  authoress  devoted  the  proceeds 
of  one  novel  to  fitting  out  a  missionary  ship,  and  of 
another  to  building  a  missionary  college  in  New  Zealand? 
Charlotte  M.  Yonge. 

Who  were  the  only  two  medical  missionaries  in  the 
world  at  the  close  of  the  eighteenth  century?  John 
Thomas  in  India,  and  Theodosius  Vanderkemp  in  South 
Africa. 

What  Moravian  family,  through  six  successive  genera- 
tions, has  sent  representatives  to  the  foreign  mission 
field?    The  Bonisch-Stach  family. 


185 


XII 

Great  Statesmen  In  tbe  Witnesses1 

I.    TESTIMONIES  OF  AMERICAN  STATESMEN  TO  THE 
VALUE    AND    SUCCESS    OF    FOREIGN    MISSIONS 

At  the  opening  evening  session  of  the  Ecu- 
menical Conference,  held  in  New  York  in  1900, 
there  sat  upon  the  platform  three  great  Ameri- 
can statesmen — William  McKinley,  Benjamin 
Harrison,  and  Theodore  Roosevelt.  It  is 
worthy  of  note  that  the  great  occasion  that 
brought  together  these  three  Presidents  of  the 

i  This  exercise  was  prepared  at  the  suggestion  of  the 
Rev.  Henry  N.  Cobb,  D.  D.,  Secretary  of  the  Board  of 
Foreign  Missions  of  the  Reformed  Church  in  America. 
It  is  designed  to  meet  the  objections  to  missions  that  have 
multiplied  so  rapidly  of  late,  especially  in  regard  to  the 
Boxer  outbreak  and  the  capture  of  Miss  Stone.  Missions 
need  no  apology.  They  stand  on  the  authority  of  our 
Lord  Himself.  Yet  it  will  undoubtedly  influence  many, 
especially  among  the  men,  to  hear  statesmen  of  high  rank 
and  unquestioned  ability  testifying  to  the  value  and 
success  of  foreign  missionary  work. 

Write  the  testimonies  on  slips  of  paper,  and  distribute 
them  before  the  meeting  begins  to  persons  who  will  read 

186 


STATESMEN    IN    THE    WITNESS-BOX 

United  States — past,  present,  and  future — was 
a  missionary  meeting.  President  McKinley  and 
Governor  Roosevelt  were  there  to  extend  to  the 
delegates  and  missionaries  the  respective  wel- 
comes of  the  nation  and  the  state,  while  General 
Harrison  served  in  an  official  capacity  as  Hon- 
orary President  of  the  Conference.  Each  of 
these  three  great  men  was  a  soldier  in  addition 
to  being  a  statesman,  having  won  distinction  on 
the  battlefield  as  well  as  in  the  halls  of  state. 
No  one  could  charge  them  with  being  dreamers 
or  sentimentalists,  yet  each  was  there  to  give 
strong  and  hearty  testimony  to  the  value  of 
Christian  missions — testimony  that  carried 
added  weight  because  it  was  not  the  perfunc- 
tory utterance  of  public  officials,  but  the  hearty 
tribute  of  Christian  men,  known  to  be  regular 
in  church  attendance  and  sincere  in  their  observ- 
ance of  religious  rites.  In  his  address  of  wel- 
come, President  McKinley  said  in  part: 

them  clearly  and  distinctly.  In  conducting  the  exercise 
the  leader  should  give  all  explanatory  notes — the  names 
of  the  statesmen,  their  official  positions,  etc.,  calling  on 
those  who  hold  the  slips  for  the  testimonials  only.  This 
exercise  would  be  especially  appropriate  for  meetings 
held  on  or  near  McKinley's  birthday,  which  occurs  on  the 
29th  day  of  January. 

187 


HOLDING    THE    ROPES 


I  am  glad  of  the  opportunity  to  offer  without  stint 
my  tribute  of  praise  and  respect  to  the  missionary  effort 
which  has  wrought  such  wonderful  triumphs  for  civili- 
zation. The  story  of  Christian  missions  is  one  of  thrilling 
interest  and  marvelous  results.  The  services  and  sacri- 
fices of  missionaries  for  their  fellow  men  constitute  one 
of  the  most  glorious  pages  of  the  world's  history.  The 
missionary,  of  whatever  church  or  ecclesiastical  body, 
who  devotes  his  life  to  the  service  of  the  Master  and  of 
men,  carrying  the  torch  of  truth  and  enlightenment,  de- 
serves the  gratitude,  the  support,  and  the  homage  of  man- 
kind. The  noble,  self-effacing,  willing  ministers  of 
peace  and  good  will  should  be  classed  with  the  world's 
heroes.  .  .  .  Who  can  estimate  their  value  to  the 
progress  of  nations?  Their  contribution  to  the  onward 
and  upward  march  of  humanity  is  beyond  all  calculation. 
They  have  inculcated  industry  and  taught  the  various 
trades.  They  have  promoted  concord  and  unity,  and 
brought  races  and  nations  closer  together.  They  have 
made  men  better.  They  have  increased  the  regard  for 
home;  have  strengthened  the  sacred  ties  of  family;  have 
made  the  community  well  ordered,  and  their  work  has 
been  a  potent  influence  in  the  development  of  law  and  the 
establishment  of  government. 

Governor  Roosevelt's  address  included  the 
following  testimony  to  the  value  of  mission 
work  among  the  American  Indians: 

It  has  not  been  my  good  fortune  to  be  able  to  see  at 
close  range  the  work  done  in  foreign  missions,  techni- 
cally so  termed,  but  it  was  once  my  privilege  to  see,  close 
up,  the  work  done  in  a  branch  of  mission  work  that  is, 

188 


STATESMEN    IN    THE    WITNESS-BOX 

in  every  sense  but  the  technical,  foreign  missionary 
work — I  mean  work  on  the  Indian  reservations  of  the 
West.  ...  I  became  so  interested  in  it  that  I  trav- 
eled all  over  the  reservations  to  see  what  was  being  done, 
especially  by  the  missionaries,  because  it  needed  no  time 
at  all  to  see  that  the  great  factors  in  the  uplifting  of 
the  Indians  were  the  men  who  were  teaching  them  to  be 
Christian  citizens.  When  I  came  back  I  wished  it  had 
been  in  my  power  to  convey  my  experiences  to  those 
people — often  well-meaning  people — who  speak  about  the 
inefficiency  of  foreign  missions.  I  think  if  they  could 
have  realized  but  the  tenth  part  of  the  work  that  had 
been  done  they  would  understand  that  no  more  practi- 
cal work,  no  work  more  productive  of  fruit  for  civiliza- 
tion, could  exist  than  the  work  being  carried  on  by  the 
men  and  women  who  give  their  lives  to  preaching  the 
gospel  of  Christ  to  mankind. 

In  responding  to  the  addresses  of  welcome 
given  by  President  McKinley  and  Governor 
Roosevelt,  General  Harrison,  whose  utterances 
throughout  the  Conference  were  especially  not- 
able, gave  this  testimony  to  the  law-abiding 
character  of  missionary  work: 

The  Church  is  not  a  revolutionary  hooter.  The  Church 
of  God,  as  it  was  started  on  its  way  by  its  Lord  and 
Master,  did  not  stir  up  rebellion,  did  not  set  men 
against  their  governing  officers.  "  Tribute  to  whom 
tribute  is  due."  Let  Caesar  have  his  tribute.  Respect 
for  our  magistrates,  as  the  representatives  of  the  chief 
magisterial  power  above,  our  Gospel  teaches.    And  these 

189 


HOLDING    THE    ROPES 


missionaries  going  into  these  foreign  lands  do  not  go  to 
disturb  the  political  conditions  of  the  states  they  enter. 
Not  at  all.  They  preach  no  crusade,  incite  no  rebellion, 
but  work  by  instilling  the  principles  of  the  Gospel  of 
Christ — the  doctrine  of  the  purity  of  man;  that  God 
made  of  one  blood  all  people;  that  not  titles,  nor  rulers, 
nor  the  outer  things  at  all,  but  the  heart  is  the  seat  of 
judgment  and  esteem;  and  this  doctrine,  working  its 
quiet  way  through  the  world,  will  yet  bring  in  the  King- 
dom that  is  promised. 

No  class  of  men  are  better  able  to  judge  the 
work  of  foreign  missions  than  the  diplomatists 
who  serve  our  country  in  foreign  lands.  Being, 
as  a  rule,  men  of  high  character  and  standing, 
and  having  abundant  opportunity  to  see  for 
themselves,  they  may  be  regarded  as  expert 
witnesses  upon  whose  testimony  it  is  safe  to  rely. 
In  an  address  delivered  by  Colonel  Denby  on  his 
return  from  China,  where  he  served  as  United 
States  Minister  from  1885  to  1898,  he  says: 

I  have  made  a  study  of  missionary  work  in  China.  I 
took  a  man-of-war  and  visited  almost  every  open  port  in 
the  empire.  At  each  one  of  the  places  I  visited  I  in- 
spected every  mission  station.  At  the  schools  the  schol- 
ars were  arrayed  before  me  and  examined.  I  went 
through  the  missionary  hospitals.  I  attended  synods  and 
church  services.  I  saw  missionaries  in  their  homes;  I  saw 
them  all,  Catholic  and  Protestant,  and  I  have  the  same 
opinion  of  them  all.     They  are  all   doing   good   work; 

190 


STATESMEN    IN    THE    WITNESS-BOX 

they  merit  all  the  support  that  philanthropy  can  give 
them.  I  do  not  stint  my  commendation,  nor  halt,  nor 
stammer  about  work  that  ought  to  be  done  at  home  in- 
stead of  abroad.  I  make  no  comparisons.  I  unquali- 
fiedly and  in  the  strongest  language  that  tongue  can 
utter  give  to  these  men  and  women  who  are  living  and 
dying  in  China  and  in  the  Far  East  my  full  and  unadul- 
terated commendation.  My  doctrine  is  to  tell,  if  I  can, 
the  simple  truth  about  them,  and  when  that  is  known,  the 
caviling,  the  depreciation,  the  sneering,  which  too  often 
accompany  comments  on  missionary  work,  will  disappear; 
they  will  stand  before  the  world,  as  they  ought  to  stand, 
as  benefactors  of  the  people  among  whom  their  lives  are 
spent,  and  forerunners  of  the  commerce  of  the  world. 

In  a  communication  to  the  Boston  Herald 
the  Hon.  George  F.  Seward,  who  served  for 
many  years  as  Consul-General  to  China,  and 
from  1876  to  1880  as  United  States  Minister 
there,  says: 

During  my  twenty  years'  stay  in  China  I  always  con- 
gratulated myself  on  the  fact  that  the  missionaries  were 
there.  There  were  good  men  and  able  men  among  the 
merchants  and  officials,  but  it  was  the  missionary  who  ex- 
hibited the  foreigner  in  benevolent  work,  as  having  other 
aims  than  those  which  may  be  justly  called  selfish.  The 
good  done  by  missionaries  in  the  way  of  education, 
of  medical  relief,  and  of  other  charities,  can  not  be  over- 
estimated. If  in  China  there  were  none  other  than  mis- 
sionary influence,  the  building  of  that  great  people  would 
go  forward  securely.    I  have  the  profoundest  admiration 

191 


HOLDING    THE    ROPES 


for  the  missionary  as  I  have  known  him.     He  is  a  power 
for  good  and  peace,  not  for  evil. 

On  his  return  to  his  home  in  Minneapolis  the 
Hon.  John  Goodnow,  Consul-General  of  the 
United  States  at  Shanghai,  who  achieved  much 
distinction  by  his  skilful  conduct  of  affairs  dur- 
ing the  commotions  in  China  in  1900,  was 
greeted  by  a  large  company,  who  listened  to  an 
account  of  his  experiences  with  intense  interest. 
Though  not  regarded  as  having  any  special  in- 
terest in  missionaries,  he  paid  this  tribute  to 
their  work : 

The  thing  that  makes  us  most  popular  in  China  is  the 
work  of  our  missionaries.  The  fact  that  the  American 
nation  and  the  American  people  stand  in  better  rela- 
tions toward  the  Chinese  nation  and  people  is  due  almost 
wholly  to  these  facts:  First,  the  work  of  the  missionaries 
proper,  by  preaching  the  Word;  second,  the  splendid 
work  of  the  medical  missionaries  with  their  hospital  ser- 
vice, where  thousands  and  thousands  of  poor  natives  are 
treated  and  cared  for;  and,  thirdly,  to  the  fact,  com- 
monly recognized  by  the  Chinese  of  intelligence,  that  the 
American  people  do  not  want  Chinese  territory. 

The  Hon.  John  W.  Foster,  formerly  United 
States  Secretary  of  State,  and  Minister  in  turn 
to  Mexico,  Russia,  and  Spain,  and  who  served  by 
invitation  of  the  Emperor  of  China  as  counselor 

192 


STATESMEN    IN    THE    WITNESS-BOX 

for  China  in  making  a  treaty  with  Japan,  in  the 
Missionary  Herald  for  October,  1900,  says: 

My  observation  is  that  the  mass  of  people  in  China  do 
not  object  to  the  missionaries.  As  a  class,  the  Chinese 
are  not  fanatics  in  religion,  and  if  other  causes  had  not 
operated  to  awaken  a  national  hostility  to  foreigners,  the 
missionaries  would  have  been  left  free  to  combat  Bud- 
dhism and  Taoism,  and  carry  on  their  work  of  establish- 
ing schools  and  hospitals.  .  .  .  China  stands  in 
great  need  of  Christianity.  The  teachings  of  Confucius, 
among  the  wisest  of  non-Christian  philosophers,  has  had 
unlimited  sway  for  twenty-five  centuries;  and  this  highest 
type  of  pagan  ethics  has  produced  a  people  the  most 
superstitious  and  a  government  the  most  corrupt  and  in- 
efficient. Confucianism  must  be  pronounced  a  failure. 
The  hope  of  this  people  and  its  government  is  in  Chris- 
tianity. 

General  Lew  Wallace,  author  of  "  Bcn-Hur," 
and  formerly  United  States  Minister  to  Turkey, 
says: 

When  I  went  to  Turkey  I  was  prejudiced  against  mis- 
sionaries, but  my  views  of  them  and  their  work  have 
completely  changed.  I  found  them  to  be  an  admirable 
body  of  men  doing  a  wonderful  educational  and  civiliz- 
ing work  outside  of  their  strictly  religious  work.  .  .  . 
When  abroad  in  the  East  I  have  found  the  best  and 
truest  friends  among  the  missionaries  located  in  Con- 
stantinople. I  have  often  been  asked;  "What  of  the 
missionaries  of  the  East?  Are  they  true,  and  do  they 
serve  their  Master?"     And  I  have  always  been  a  swift 

193 


HOLDING    THE    ROPES 


witness  to  say — and  I  say  it  now  solemnly  and  emphati- 
cally— that  if  anywhere  on  the  face  of  this  earth  there 
exists  a  band  of  devout  men  and  women  it  is  there. 

Hon.  E.  F.  Noyes,  United  States  Minister  to 
Turkey,  reporting  on  the  relations  between  our 
country  and  the  Ottoman  Empire,  wrote  thus: 

The  salutary  influence  of  American  missionaries  and 
teachers  in  the  Turkish  Empire  can  not  possibly  be  over- 
rated. By  actual  observation  I  know  that  wherever  a 
conspicuously  intelligent  and  enterprising  man  or  woman 
is  found  in  the  East,  one  imbued  with  the  spirit  of  mod- 
ern civilization,  it  is  always  found  that  he  or  she  was 
educated  at  an  American  school  or  college  in  Constanti- 
nople, Alexandria,  Cairo,  Asyoot,  or  Beirut.  With  the 
educational  influences  comes  a  demand  for  the  refine- 
ments and  comforts  of  civilized  life.  The  Arab  youth 
who  has  graduated  at  the  college  in  Beirut  is  no  longer 
content  to  live  in  a  mud-pen,  clothe  himself  in  filthy 
rags  or  not  at  all,  and  to  live  on  sugar-cane. 

In  his  valuable  book,  "  Persia  and  the  Per- 
sians," Hon.  S.  G.  W.  Benjamin,  formerly 
United  States  Minister  to  Persia,  writes  as 
follows : 

The  American  missionaries  have  now  been  laboring 
fifty  years  in  Persia.  There  are  captious  persons  who 
ask,  "  Well,  how  many  converts  have  they  made  ?  Would 
they  not  do  more  by  staying  at  home?  "  Altho  this  is  not 
a  fair  way  to  judge  of  the  value  and  results  of  missions, 

194 


STATESMEN    IN    THE    WITNESS-BOX 

I  have  no  hesitation  in  affirming  that  the  missionaries  in 
Persia  have  made  as  many  converts  as  an  equal  number 
of  clergymen  in  the  United  States  during  the  same  pe- 
riod. .  .  .  American  missions  in  Persia  may  be  slow, 
but  they  are  an  enduring  influence  both  for  secular  as 
well  as  for  religious  progress.  Their  growth  is  cumu- 
lative and  their  power  is  mighty. 

In  1882  the  Hon.  Elisha  H.  Allen,  Hawaiian 
Minister  to  the  United  States,  and  for  twenty 
years  Chief-Justice  and  Chancellor  of  the 
Island  Kingdom,  gave  this  testimony: 

I  have  a  very  high  appreciation  of  the  great  work 
which  the  American  Board  has  accomplished.  No  one 
can  fully  appreciate  it  unless  by  a  visit  to  the  country 
which  has  been  blessed  by  its  labors.  ...  It  was 
a  great  triumph  to  have  saved  the  nation,  and  to  have 
brought  it  within  the  family  of  nations,  which  was  so 
important  to  Christian  civilization  and  to  the  commerce 
of  the  world,  and  more  especially  of  the  United  States. 

Hon.  David  B.  Sickles,  for  five  years  United 
States  Consul  at  Bangkok,  gave  the  following 
testimony  to  the  value  of  missions  in  Siam : 

The  American  missionaries  in  Siam,  whom  I  have  ob- 
served for  several  years,  have  accomplished  a  work  of 
greater  magnitude  and  importance  than  can  be  realized 
by  those  who  are  not  familiar  with  its  character.  Largely 
through  their  influence  slavery  is  being  abolished,  and 
the  degrading  custom  of  bodily  prostration  is  not  now 

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HOLDING    THE    ROPES 


compulsory.  Wholesome  and  equitable  laws  have  been 
proclaimed,  criminals  have  been  punished  by  civilized 
methods,  literature  and  art  have  been  encouraged  by 
the  King  and  ministers,  an  educational  institution  has 
been  established  by  the  government,  and  reforms  have 
been  inaugurated  in  all  its  departments.  .  .  .  Before 
I  went  to  the  Far  East  I  was  strongly  prejudiced  against 
the  missionary  enterprise  and  against  foreign  mission- 
aries; but  after  a  careful  examination  of  their  work,  I 
became  convinced  of  its  immense  value. 

In  a  recent  number  of  the  Independent,  the 
Hon.  Hamilton  King,  United  States  Consul- 
General  to  Siam,  gave  a  glowing  account  of 
mission  work  among  the  Laos,  as  he  saw  it  dur- 
ing a  journey  through  their  country.    He  says: 

In  this  field  the  influences  of  Christian  civilization, 
divorced  to  a  very  large  degree  from  those  evils  that 
generally  go  hand  in  hand  with  it,  have  been  brought 
to  bear  upon  the  Oriental  mind  through  the  agency  of 
the  Christian  mission  alone.  As  we  approached  the  city 
of  Chiengmai,  where  the  work  has  been  longest  in  opera- 
tion, it  was  interesting  to  mark  the  external  evidences  of 
improvement  that  greeted  us.  Each  day  the  women  that 
we  met  were  more  neat  and  trim  in  appearance;  their 
faces  wore  a  more  hopeful  look,  and  they  bore  the  mark 
of  better  things  in  their  lives.  The  roads  became  better. 
Better-tilled  fields,  better-kept  fences,  better  houses, 
more  thrifty  homes,  and  a  general  improvement  in  all 
that  goes  to  make  up  a  prosperous  and  thrifty  people 
were  evident  in  this  province.    On  the  morning  after  my 

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arrival,  as  I  stood  before  an  audience  of  six  hundred 
people  in  the  commodious  church,  I  said  to  myself: 
"  This  is  the  best  thing  I  have  seen  in  Siam.  The  Gospel 
has  the  right  hold  upon  this  people's  lives,  and  is  lift- 
ing them." 

The  Hon.  John  Barrett,  United  States  Min- 
ister to  Siam  from  1894  to  1898,  who  was  with 
Dewey  at  Manila,  and  is  now  serving  as  Com- 
missioner-General to  Asia  for  the  St.  Louis 
World's  Fair,  loses  no  opportunity  to  say  a 
good  word  for  missions.  In  an  address  de- 
livered before  the  New  Orleans  Missionary  Con- 
ference, in  1901,  he  spoke  as  follows: 

Going  out  to  Asia  seven  years  ago,  as  United  States 
Minister  to  Siam,  I  was  in  a  degree  prejudiced  against 
missionaries.  Returning  to  America  six  years  later,  I  was 
convinced  of  the  practical  value  and  importance  of 
their  work.  Four  years'  official  residence  in  Siam,  a 
year  or  more  in  China  and  Japan,  and  another  in  the 
Philippines,  aroused  me  to  an  appreciation  of  America's 
mighty  responsibilities  and  opportunities,  missionary  and 
commercial,  in  the  Far  East.  .  .  .  Summarizing  in 
briefest  terms  possible  some  points  in  favor  of  mission- 
ary work  from  a  layman's  point  of  view,  we  enumerate 
the  following:  1.  In  my  experience  as  a  United  States 
minister  one  hundred  and  fifty  missionaries  scattered 
over  a  land  as  large  as  the  German  Empire  gave  me  less 
trouble  than  fifteen  business  men  or  merchants.  2. 
Everywhere  they  go,  in  Siam  or  Burma,  in  China  or 
Japan,  they  tend  to  raise  the  moral  tone  of  the  commu- 

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HOLDING    THE    ROPES 


nity  where  they  settle.  3.  They  are  the  pioneers  in  edu- 
cation, starting  the  first  practical  schools  and  higher  in- 
stitutions of  learning,  teaching  along  lines  that  develop 
the  spirit  of  true  citizenship  as  well  as  of  Christianity. 
4.  They  develop  the  idea  of  patriotism,  of  individual  re- 
sponsibility in  the  welfare  of  the  State.  5.  They  carry 
on  an  extensive  medical  and  surgical  work,  build  hos- 
pitals, and  encourage  sanitary  measures,  and  have  been 
the  chief  agency  throughout  Asia  to  check  the  spread  of 
diseases  like  smallpox,  cholera,  and  the  plague.  6.  They 
do  a  great  work  of  charity  and  teach  the  idea  of  self- 
help  among  masses  otherwise  doomed  to  starvation  and 
cruel  slavery.  7.  They  are  helpful  in  preparing  the  way 
for  legitimate  commercial  expansion,  and  almost  in- 
variably precede  the  merchant  in  penetrating  the  in- 
terior. 8.  They  have  done  more  than  either  commerce  or 
diplomacy  to  develop  respect  for  American  character 
and  manhood  among  the  countless  ignorant  millions  of 
Asia.  9.  They  are  a  necessity  to  the  Asiatic  statesmen 
and  people  to  provide  them  with  that  instruction  and  in- 
formation required  to  undertake  genuine  progress  and 
development. 

II.    TESTIMONIES    OF    BRITISH    STATESMEN 

The  testimony  of  British  statesmen  to  the 
value  of  foreign  missions  is  fully  as  strong  as 
that  of  American  statesmen,  and  is  especially 
notable  in  view  of  the  following  conviction 
embodied  by  the  directors  of  the  East  India 
Company  in  a  resolution  passed  in  Parliament 
in  1793: 

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STATESMEN    IN    THE    WITNESS-BOX 

The  sending  of  missionaries  into  our  Eastern  posses- 
sions is  the  maddest,  most  extravagant,  most  expensive, 
most  unwarrantable  project  that  was  ever  proposed  by  a 
lunatic  enthusiast.  Such  a  plan  is  pernicious,  impolitic, 
unprofitable,  unsalutary,  dangerous,  unfruitful,  fan- 
tastic. It  is  opposed  to  all  reason  and  sound  policy;  it 
endangers  the  peace  and  security  of  our  possessions! 

Less  than  one  hundred  years  later,  at  a  pub- 
lic meeting  in  London,  Lord  John  Lawrence, 
the  greatest  of  all  the  English  Viceroys  of 
India,  said: 

Notwithstanding  all  that  the  English  people  have  done 
to  benefit  India,  the  missionaries  have  done  more  than 
all  other  agencies  combined. 

In  an  address  delivered  at  Tan j  ore,  Lord 
Napier,  Governor  of  Madras,  said: 

The  benefits  of  missionary  enterprise  are  felt  in  three 
directions — in  converting,  civilizing,  and  teaching  the 
Indian  people.  It  is  not  easy  to  overrate  the  value  in 
this  vast  empire  of  a  class  of  Englishmen  of  pious  lives 
and  disinterested  labors,  living  and  moving  in  the  most 
forsaken  places,  walking  between  the  government  and  the 
people,  with  devotion  to  both,  the  friends  of  right,  the 
adversaries  of  wrong,  impartial  spectators  of  good  and 
evil. 

In  a  lecture  on  "  Christianity  Suited  to  all 
Forms    of   Civilization,"    delivered   in   London, 

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HOLDING    THE    ROPES 


Sir  Bartle  Frere,  formerly  Governor  of  Bom- 
bay, said: 

Whatever  you  may  have  been  told  to  the  contrary,  I 
assure  you  that  the  teaching  of  Christianity  among  one 
hundred  and  sixty  millions  of  civilized,  industrious  Hin- 
dus and  Mohammedans  in  India  is  effecting  changes, 
moral,  social,  and  political,  which  for  extent  and 
rapidity  of  effect  are  far  more  extraordinary  than  any- 
thing you  or  your  fathers  have  witnessed  in  modern 
Europe. 

Sir  Richard  Temple,  who  spent  thirty  years 
in  India,  and  filled  the  offices  of  Commissioner 
of  the  Central  Provinces,  Lieutenant-Governor 
of  Bengal,  Governor  of  Bombay,  and  Finance 
Minister  of  India,  says  in  his  book  entitled  "  In- 
dia in  1880": 

Missionaries  have  often  afforded  to  the  government  and 
to  its  officers  information  which  could  not  have  been  so 
well  obtained  otherwise.  They  have  done  much  to  eluci- 
date before  their  countrymen,  and  before  the  world,  the 
customs,  the  institutions,  and  the  feelings  of  the  natives. 
They  have  contributed  greatly  to  the  culture  of  the 
vernacular  language,  and  many  of  them,  as  scholars, 
historians,  sociologists,  or  lexicographers,  have  held  a 
high  place  in  Oriental  literature,  and  have  written  books 
of  lasting  fame  and  utility. 

In  a  meeting  held  in  Calcutta  shortly  before 
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STATESMEN    IN    THE    WITNESS-BOX 

his  return  to  England,  Sir  Augustus  Rivers 
Thompson,  Lieutenant-Governor  of  Bengal, 
said: 

In  my  judgment,  Christian  missionaries  have  done 
more  real  and  lasting  good  to  the  people  of  India  than 
all  other  agencies  combined.  They  have  been  the  salt  of 
the  country  and  the  true  saviors  of  the  empire. 

Sir  Charles  Aitchison,  Lieutenant-Governor 
of  the  Punjab,  a  man  of  large  and  varied 
official  experience  in  India,  says: 

From  a  purely  administrative  point  of  view,  I  should 
deplore  the  drying  up  of  Christian  liberality  to  missions 
in  this  country  as  a  most  lamentable  check  to  social  and 
moral  progress,  and  a  grievous  injury  to  the  best  in- 
terests of  the  people. 

In  an  article  contributed  to  the  Nineteenth 
Century,  Sir  William  Hunter,  the  distinguished 
Indian  administrator,  says : 

The  careless  onlooker  may  have  no  particular  convic- 
tions on  the  subject,  and  flippant  persons  may  ridicule 
religious  effort  in  India  as  elsewhere.  But  I  think  few 
Indian  administrators  have  passed  through  high  office, 
and  had  to  deal  with  difficult  problems  of  British  gov- 
ernment in  that  assembly,  without  feeling  the  value  of 
the  work  done  by  the  missionaries. 

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HOLDING    THE    ROPES 


In  the  first  of  a  series  of  addresses  on  Foreign 
Missions  delivered  at  Cornhill  in  March,  1903, 
Sir  Mackworth  Young,  late  Lieutenant-Gov- 
ernor of  the  Punjab,  spoke  as  follows: 

Forty  years'  experience  of  the  Indian  Civil  Service  has 
brought  me  to  the  conclusion  that  power  in  India  has 
been  entrusted  to  Great  Britain  for  the  propagation  of 
Christianity.  I  regard  the  work  done  by  missionary 
agencies  in  India  to  exceed  in  importance  all  the  work 
done  by  the  Indian  Government  since  its  commence- 
ment. 

General  Sir  Charles  Warren,  Governor  of 
Natal,  whose  special  mission  was  the  pacification 
of  Zululand  and  Bechuanaland,  gave  this  testi- 
mony: 

For  the  preservation  of  peace  between  the  colonists 
and  the  natives,  one  missionary  is  worth  more  than  a 
whole  battalion  of  soldiers. 

In  an  address  delivered  in  Glasgow,  Henry  E. 
O'Neill,  Esq.,  British  Consul  at  Mozambique, 
spoke  thus: 

I  must  say  that  my  experience  of  ten  years  in  Africa 
has  convinced  me  that  mission  work  is  one  of  the  most 
powerful  and  useful  instruments  we  possess  for  the 
pacification  of  the  country  and  the  suppression  of  the 
slave-trade. 

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STATESMEN    IN    THE    WITNESS-BOX 


III.    TESTIMONIES       OF       GREAT       STATESMEN       OF 
HEATHEN    LANDS 

To  these  remarkable  testimonies  of  eminent 
statesmen  in  Christian  lands  may  be  added  those 
of  the  great  statesmen  of  heathen  lands,  who 
have  expressed  their  appreciation  of  the  work 
of  Christian  missionaries  in  behalf  of  their 
countrymen.  Among  these  is  that  of  Li  Hung 
Chang,  whom  General  Grant  pronounced  one 
of  the  four  greatest  statesmen  of  the  world  in 
his  day.  During  his  visit  to  the  United  States 
in  1896  Li  Hung  Chang  received  a  deputation 
from  the  American  missionary  societies  at  the 
Hotel  Waldorf.  In  response  to  an  address  pre- 
sented by  Dr.  Ellinwood,  the  great  viceroy 
spoke  as  follows : 

The  missionaries  have  not  sought  for  pecuniary  gains 
at  the  hands  of  our  people.  They  have  not  been  se- 
cret emissaries  of  diplomatic  schemes.  Their  labors  have 
no  political  significance,  and  the  last,  not  the  least,  if  I 
might  be  permitted  to  add,  they  have  not  interfered  with 
or  usurped  the  rights  of  the  territorial  authorities. 
.  .  .  A  man  is  composed  of  soul,  intellect,  and  body; 
I  highly  appreciate  that  your  eminent  Boards,  in  your 
arduous  and  much  esteemed  work  in  China,  have  neg- 
lected none  of  th§  three.  I  need  not  say  much  about  the 
first,  being  an  unknowable  mystery  of  which  our  great 

203 


HOLDING    THE    ROPES 


Confucius  had  only  an  active  knowledge.  As  for  intel- 
lect, you  have  started  numerous  educational  establish- 
ments which  have  served  as  the  best  means  to  enable  our 
countrymen  to  acquire  a  fair  knowledge  of  the  modern 
arts  and  sciences  of  the  West.  As  for  the  material  part 
of  our  constitution,  your  societies  have  started  hospitals 
and  dispensaries  to  save  not  only  the  soul,  but  the  bodies 
of  our  countrymen.  I  have  also  to  add  that  in  the  time 
of  famine  in  some  of  the  provinces  you  have  done  your 
best  to  the  greatest  number  of  sufferers  to  keep  their 
bodies  and  souls  together. 

Marquis  Ito,  Japan's  great  statesman,  upon 
whom  Yale  University  conferred  a  degree  dur- 
ing his  recent  visit  to  America,  gratefully  ac- 
knowledges his  country's  indebtedness  to  mis- 
sions.    He  says: 

Japan's  progress  and  development  are  largely  due  to 
the  influence  of  missionaries  exerted  in  right  directions 
when  Japan  was  first  studying  the  outer  world. 

Chulalongkorn,  King  of  Siam,  who  is  re- 
garded as  the  most  humane  and  progressive 
monarch  in  the  East,  is  a  firm  friend  and  stanch 
supporter  of  missions  in  his  kingdom.     He  says : 

American  missionaries  have  done  more  to  advance  the 
welfare  of  my  country  and  people  than  any  other  foreign 
influence. 

Added  to  this  word  from  the  king  is  this  testi- 
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STATESMEN    IN    THE    WITNESS-BOX 

mony  from  Prince  Damrong,  Minister  of  the 
Interior,  addressed  to  the  Hon.  Hamilton  King, 
United  States  Minister  to  Siam: 

I  want  to  say  to  you  that  we  have  great  respect  for 
your  American  missionaries  in  our  country,  and  appre- 
ciate very  highly  the  work  they  are  doing  for  our  people. 
I  want  this  to  be  understood  by  every  one;  and  if  you 
are  in  a  position  to  let  it  be  known  to  your  countrymen, 
I  wish  you  would  say  this  for  me.  I  have  just  now  more 
especially  in  mind  my  visit  to  Chieng-mai.  The  work  of 
your  people  is  excellent.  I  can  not  say  too  much  in  praise 
of  the  medical  missionaries  there  especially. 


205 


XIII 

Great  Ubougbts  from  ZlDaster  /llMsstonarf  es 

The  stirring  words  of  great  missionaries  have 
been  called  "  the  battle-cries  of  the  Church." 
Together  with  the  notable  utterances  of  promi- 
nent workers  in  the  home  land,  they  have  done 
much  to  advance  the  cause  of  missions.  They 
can  be  used  in  missionary  meetings  with  very 
good  effect,  especially  if  the  selections  are  from 
various  sources  and  all  along  one  line  of 
thought.  The  following  suggestions  may  be 
helpful : 

1.  Ask  the  members  of  the  society  to  come 
prepared  to  give  missionary  quotations  in  re- 
sponse to  their  names  at  roll-call. 

2.  Write  out  a  score  or  more  of  quotations 
on  slips  of  paper  and  number  them.  Distribute 
these  at  the  meeting,  and  have  them  read  at 
appropriate  times,  calling  for  them  by  number. 

3.  Select  a  dozen  of  the  most  famous  quota- 
tions and  read  them  one  at  a  time,  calling  on 
those  present  to  give  the  author  of  each.     This 

206 


MASTER    MISSIONARIES 


makes  a  test  exercise  that  is  both  interesting 
and  effective. 

4.  Select  several  strong,  terse  quotations, 
and  use  them  as  wall-mottoes  to  adorn  the  room 
in  which  the  meetings  are  held.  They  can 
either  be  painted  on  muslin  or  cut  from  card- 
board and  tacked  into  place. 

5.  Use  one  of  the  most  striking  quotations 
as  a  motto  for  the  year's  work. 

6.  For  missionary  teas  or  other  social  mis- 
sionary gatherings,  souvenirs  appropriate  to 
the  topic  for  the  da}'  can  be  made,  and  the 
quotations  used  in  connection  with  them.  For 
example,  at  a  meeting  on  Siam  tiny  flags  of  red 
ribbon  may  be  made,  and  a  white  elephant  cut 
in  outline  from  white  paper  pasted  on  one  side, 
and  a  slip  of  paper  bearing  a  missionary  quota- 
tion on  the  other.  Chinese  flags  (a  black 
dragon  on  a  yellow  ground)  and  Japanese  flags 
(a  red  circle  on  a  white  ground)  can  be  easily 
made  in  a  similar  manner.  For  a  meeting  on 
Africa,  small  outline-maps  may  be  cut  from 
stiff  black  paper,  and  a  quotation  put  on  the 
back  of  each.  For  a  Christmas  meeting,  tiny 
stars  or  bells  cut  from  cardboard  are  pretty  and 
appropriate. 

207 


HOLDING    THE    ROPES 


THE    MISSIONARY   OBLIGATION 

The  conversion  of  the  world  is  the  will  of  Christ,  and 
therefore  it  is  our  bounden  duty  and  service. — Bishop 
Selwyn. 

"  Here  am  I ;  send  me — to  the  first  man  I  meet  or  to 
the  remotest  heathen  " — this  is  the  appropriate  response 
of  every  Christian  to  the  call  of  God. — Augustus  C. 
Thompson. 

That  land  is  henceforth  my  country  which  most  needs 
the  Gospel. — Count  Zinzendorf. 

While  vast  continents  are  shrouded  in  almost  utter 
darkness,  and  hundreds  of  millions  suffer  the  horrors  of 
heathenism  or  of  Islam,  the  burden  of  proof  lies  upon 
you  to  show  that  the  circumstances  in  which  God  has 
placed  you  were  meant  by  Him  to  keep  you  out  of  the 
foreign   field. — Ion    Keith-Falcoxer. 

I  can  not,  I  dare  not,  go  up  to  judgment  till  I  have 
done  the  utmost  God  enables  me  to  do  to  diffuse  His 
glory  through  the  world. — Asahel  Grant. 

Tho  you  and  I  are  very  little  beings,  we  must  not  rest 
satisfied  till  we  have  made  our  influence  extend  to  the 
remotest  corner  of  this  ruined  world. — Samuel  J.  Mills. 

I  tell  you,  fellow  Christians,  your  love  has  a  broken 
wing  if  it  can  not  fly  across  the  ocean. — Maltbie  Bab- 
cock. 

It  is  manly  to  love  one's  country.  It  is  Godlike  to 
love  the  world. — J.  W.  Conklin. 

Our  Savior  has  given  a  commandment  to  preach  the 
Gospel  even  to  the  ends  of  the  earth.  He  will  provide 
for  the  fulfilment  of  His  own  purpose.  Let  us  only 
obey! — Allen  Gardiner. 

It  was  not  so  much  a  call  to  India  that  I  received  as 
an  acceptance  for  India. — Bishop  Thoburn. 

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MASTER    MISSIONARIES 


There  was  a  time  when  I  had  no  care  or  concern  for 
the  heathen;  that  was  when  I  had  none  for  my  own 
soul.  When  by  the  grace  of  God  I  was  led  to  care  for 
my  own  soul,  I  began  to  care  for  them.  In  my  closet 
I  said :  "  O  Lord,  silver  and  gold  have  I  none.  What  I 
have  I  give:  I  offer  Thee  myself!  Wilt  Thou  accept  the 
gift?" — Alexander  Duff. 

Every  young  man  and  woman  should  be  a  junior  part- 
ner with  the  Lord  Jesus  for  the  salvation  of  the 
world. — Jacob  Chamberlain. 

We  are  the  children  of  the  converts  of  foreign  mis- 
sionaries, and  fairness  means  that  I  must  do  to  others 
as  men  once  did  for  me. — Maltbie  Babcock. 

Some  can  go,  most  can  give,  all  can  pray. — Anon. 

"  Look  to  your  marching  orders.  How  do  they 
read?1' — The  Duke  of  Wellington  to  a  young  cvrate 
who  spoke  disparagingly  of  foreign  missions. 

THE     CHURCH    AND    WORLD-WIDE     MISSIONS 

The  Church  which  ceases  to  be  evangelistic  will  soon 
cease  to  be  evangelical. — Alexander  Duff. 

The  Church  of  Christ  will  be  incomplete  as  long  as 
the  representatives  of  any  people,  nation,  or  tongue  are 
outside  its  pale. — Alfred  Oates. 

Every  man,  woman,  and  child  in  heathen  darkness  is 
a  challenge  to  the  Church. — S.  Earl  Taylor. 

It  is  my  deep  conviction,  and  I  say  it  again,  that  if 
the  Church  of  Christ  were  what  she  ought  to  be,  twenty 
years  would  not  pass  away  until  the  story  of  the  Cross 
would  be  uttered  in  the  ears  of  every  living  man. — 
Simeon  H.  Calhoun. 

Every  church  should  support  two  pastors — one  for  the 
thousands  at  home,  the  other  for  the  millions  abroad. — 
Jacob  Chameerlain. 


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HOLDING    THE    ROPES 


We  are  playing  at  missions. — Alexander  Duff. 

The  Church  has  been  divided  into  three  classes — mis- 
sion, omission,  and  anti-mission. — Anon. 

The  greatest  hindrances  to  the  evangelization  of  the 
world  are  those  within  the  Church. — John  R.  Mott. 

In  foreign  missions  the  Church  of  Christ  has  found 
its  touchstone,  its  supreme  test,  its  ultimate  vindication. — 
Caroline  Atwater  Mason. 

The  Church  has  no  other  purpose  in  existence,  no 
other  end  to  serve  save  the  great  end  of  giving  the 
Gospel  to  the  world. — Bishop  Hendrix. 

MONEY    AND    THE    KINGDOM 

We  can  not  serve  God  and  mammon,  but  we  can  serve 
God  with  mammon. — Robert  E.  Speer. 

At  the  present  time  one  thing  alone  hinders  the  prog- 
ress of  Christ's  Kingdom,  and  that  one  thing  is  the  lack 
of  money. — W.  D.  Sexton. 

There  is  money  enough  in  the  hands  of  church  mem- 
bers to  sow  every  acre  of  the  earth  with  the  seed  of 
truth. — Josiah  Strong. 

There  is  needed  one  more  revival  among  Christians,  a 
revival  of  Christian  giving.  When  that  revival  comes, 
the  Kingdom  of  God  will  come  in  a  day. — Horace  Bush- 
nell. 

Christians  should  regard  money  as  a  trust.  They  are 
stewards  of  Jesus  Christ  for  everything  they  have,  and 
they  ought  to  see  His  image  and  superscription  on  every 
dollar  they  possess. — Theodore  L.  Cuyler. 

The  man  who  prays  "  Thy  Kingdom  come,"  and  does 
not  give  some  just  proportion  of  his  income  to  promote 
the  Kingdom,  is  a  conscious  or  unconscious  hypocrite. — 
Francis  E.  Clark. 


210 


MASTER    MISSIONARIES 


Nine-tenths  with  God  are  worth  far  more  than  ten- 
tenths  without  God. — President  J.  W.  Bashford. 

A  deified  appetite  outranks  a  crucified  Christ. — F.  T. 
Bayley. 

I  am  tired  of  hearing  people  talk  about  raising  money; 
it  is  time  for  us  to  give  it. — John  Willis  Baer. 

The  best  way  to  raise  missionary  money:  Put  your 
hand  in  your  pocket,  get  a  good  grip  on  it,  then  raise 
it! — Miss  Wishard. 

More  consecrated  money — money  which  has  passed 
through  the  mint  of  prayer  and  faith  and  self-denial 
for  the  Lord's  sake — is  the  greatest  demand  of  our 
time. — A.  J.  Gordon. 

Give  until  you  feel  it,  and  then  give  until  you  don't 
feel  it. — Mary  Lyon. 


prayer  and  missions 

Let  us  advance  upon  our  knees. — Joseph  Hardy 
Nee  si  ma. 

Whoever  prays  most,  helps  most. — William  Goodell. 

Prayer  and  missions  as  as  inseparable  as  faith  and 
works. — John  R.  Mott. 

Every  step  in  the  progress  of  missions  is  directly 
traceable  to  prayer.  It  has  been  the  preparation  for 
every  new  triumph  and  the  secret  of  all  success. — 
Arthur  T.  Pierson. 

He  prays  not  at  all  in  whose  prayers  there  is  no  men- 
tion of  the  Kingdom  of  God. — Jewish  Proverb. 

He  who  faithfully  prays  at  home  does  as  much  for 
foreign  missions  as  the  man  on  the  field,  for  the  nearest 
way  to  the  heart  of  a  Hindu  or  Chinaman  is  by  way 
of  the  throne  of  God. — Eugene  Stock. 

He  who  embraces  in  his  prayer  the  widest  circle  of  his 

211 


HOLDING    THE    ROPES 


fellow  creatures  is  most  in  sympathy  with  the  mind  of 
God. — Dean  Gouldburn. 

Thank  God  for  bairns'  prayers.  I  like  best  the 
prayers  of  children. — James  Chalmers. 

Unprayed  for  I  feel  like  a  diver  at  the  bottom  of  a 
river  with  no  air  to  breathe,  or  like  a  fireman  on  a 
blazing  building  with  an  empty  hose. — James  Gil- 
mour. 

Every  element  in  the  missionary  problem  depends  for 
its  solution  upon  prayer. — Robert  E.  Speer. 

Prayer  and  pains  through  faith  in  Jesus  Christ  will 
do  anything. — John  Eliot. 

medical  missions 

I  am  a  missionary,  heart  and  soul.  God  had  an  only 
Son,  and  He  was  a  missionary  and  a  physician.  A  poor 
imitation  of  Him  I  am,  or  wish  to  be.  In  this  service 
I  hope  to  live,  and  in  it  I  wish  to  die. — David  Living- 
stone. 

The  medical  missionary  is  a  missionary  and  a  half. 
— Robert  Moffat. 

Medical  missionary  work  is  the  golden  key  that  is 
to-day  unlocking  many  of  the  most  strongly  barred 
fortresses  of  Satan. — Irene  H.  Barnes. 

There  is  certainly  no  such  field  for  evangelistic  work 
as  the  wards  of  a  hospital  in  a  land  like  China. — John 
Kenneth   Mackenzie. 

The  history  of  medical  missions  is  the  justification  of 
medical  missions. — Encyclopedia  of  Missions. 

All  genuine  missionary  work  must  in  the  highest  sense 
be  a  healing  work. — Alexander  Mackay. 

The  work  of  medical  missions  must  not  be  advocated 
simply  as  a  life-saving  agency.  Without  the  Bible  in 
one  hand,  the  medicine-case  is  not  wanted  in  the  other. 

212 


MASTER    MISSIONARIES 


The  objective  point  of  the  work  must  be  soul-winning. — 
Dr.  Anna  W.  Fearn,  China. 

HINDRANCES  TO   MISSIONS 

The  Gospel  has  no  greater  enemy  on  the  West  Coast 
of  Africa  than  rum. — Dr.  Polhemus. 

Satan  has  no  better  agent  to  destroy  the  African  than 
foreign  liquor. — Henry  Richards. 

In  the  Kongo  Free  State  the  battle  will  be  between 
the  bottle  and  the  Bible.— F.  P.  Noble. 

Africa,  robbed  of  her  children,  rifled  of  her  treasures, 
lies  prostrate  before  the  rapine  and  greed  of  the  Chris- 
tian nations  of  the  world.  A  slave-pen  and  battle-field 
for  ages,  Christian  nations — instead  of  binding  up  her 
wounds,  like  the  good  Samaritan;  instead  of  passing 
by  and  leaving  her  alone,  like  Levite  and  priest — have 
come  to  her  with  ten  thousand  ship-loads  of  rum,  hell's 
masterpiece  of  damnation. — Charles  Satchell  Morris. 

The  slave-trade  has  been  to  Africa  a  great  evil,  but 
the  evils  of  the  rum-trade  are  far  worse.  I  would  rather 
my  countrymen  were  in  slavery  and  kept  away  from 
drink,  than  that  drink  should  be  let  loose  upon  them. — 
Rev.  James  Johnson,  a  native  African  pastor. 

The  accursed  drink  traffic  has  been  one  of  the  greatest 
hindrances  to  the  spread  of  civilization  and  Christianity 
in  heathen  lands. — H.  Grattan  Guinness. 

Christian  nations  have  held  out  to  the  heathen  races 
the  Bible  in  one  hand  and  the  bottle  in  the  other,  and 
the  bottle  has  sent  ten  to  perdition  where  the  Bible  has 
brought  one  to  Jesus  Christ. — Theodore   L.  Cuyler. 

The  men  who  like  Paul  have  gone  to  heathen  lands 
with  the  message,  "We  seek  not  yours,  but  you,"  have 
been  hindered  by  those  who,  coming  after,  have  reversed 
the  message.     Ruin  and  other  corrupting  agencies  come 

213 


HOLDING    THE    ROPES 


in  with  our  boasted  civilization,  and  the  feeble  races 
wither  before  the  hot  breath  of  the  white  man's  vices. — 
Benjamin  Harrison,  at  the  Ecumenical  Conference. 

Our  consecration  of  life,  property,  strength,  to  the 
conversion  of  China's  millions  is  largely  neutralized  by 
the  ill-omened  opium  traffic. — T.  G.  Selby. 

From  ancient  times  to  the  present  day  there  has  never 
been  such  a  stream  of  evil  and  misery  as  has  come  down 
upon  China  in  her  receiving  the  curse  of  opium. — Sien 
Lien-Li,  a  Chinese  government  official. 

Oh,  the  evils  of  opium !  The  slave-trade  was  bad ;  the 
drink  is  bad;  the  licensing  of  vice  is  bad;  but  the  opium 
traffic  is  the  sum  of  all  villanies. — J.  Hudson  Taylor. 

The  devil  hovers  over  India  with  his  hands  full  of 
poppy  seeds. — Anon. 

failure  and  success 

The  word  "  discouragement "  is  not  found  in  the  dic- 
tionary of  the  Kingdom  of  Heaven.  Never  let  yourself 
use  the  word  if  you  have  God's  work  to  do. — Melinda 
Rankin. 

It  is  a  mark  of  Christianity  to  attempt  the  impossible, 
and  through  God's  blessing  gloriously  achieve  the  same. 
— Judson  Smith. 

We  can  do  it  if  we  will. — Samuel  J.  Mills. 

A  true  missionary  never  knows  defeat. — A.  A.  Fulton. 

I  refuse  to  be  disappointed;  I  will  only  praise. — 
James  Hannington. 

While  God  gives  me  strength,  failure  shall  not  daunt 
me. — Allen  Gardiner. 

Let  me  fail  in  trying  to  do  something  rather  than  to 
sit  still  and  do  nothing. — Cyrus  Hamlin. 

Our  remedies  frequently  fail;  but  Christ  as  the  remedy 
for  sin  never   fails. — John   Kenneth  Mackenzie. 


214 


MASTER    MISSIONARIES 


Do  what  you  can  in  the  strength  of  God  and  leave  the 
results  in  His  hands. — Johank  Ludwig  Krapf. 

There  are  two  little  words  in  our  language  which  I 
always  admired — "  try  "  and  "  trust."  Until  you  try  you 
know  not  what  you  can  or  can  not  effect;  and  if  you 
make  your  trials  in  the  exercise  of  trust  in  God,  moun- 
tains of  imaginary  difficulties  will  vanish  as  you  ap- 
proach them,  and  facilities  which  you  never  anticipated 
will  be  afforded. — John  Williams. 

China  has  no  sorrow  that  Christ's  message  can  not 
cure;  India  has  no  problem  it  can  not  solve;  Japan  no 
question  it  can  not  answer;  Africa  no  darkness  it  can 
not  dispel. — Judson  Smith. 

Expect  great  things  from  God;  attempt  great  things 
for  God. — William  Carey. 

Get  close  to  the  hearts  you  would  win  for  Christ.  Let 
your  heart  be  entwined  with  their  hearts;  let  no  barrier 
come  between  you  and  the  souls  you  would  reach. — 
George  L.  Pilkington. 

Kindness  is  the  key  to  the  human  heart,  whether  it  be 
that  of  savage  or  civilized  man. — John  Williams. 

And  this  also  I  learned,  that  the  power  of  gentleness 
is  irresistible. — Henry  Martyn. 

Results  must  be  left  in  the  hands  of  God. — Bishop 
Selwyn. 

Even  if  I  never  see  a  native  converted,  God  may 
design,  by  my  patience  and  continuance  in  the  work,  to 
encourage  future  missionaries. — Henry  Martyn. 

Prayer  and  pains,  through  faith  in  Jesus  Christ,  will 
do  anything. — John  Eliot. 

Nothing  earthly  will  make  me  give  up  my  work  in 
despair.  I  encourage  myself  in  the  Lord  my  God  and 
go  forward. — David  Livingstone. 


215 


HOLDING    THE    ROPES 


INDIRECT    BENEFITS    OF    MISSIONS 

Missionaries  to  a  barbarous  people  deserve  a  vote  of 
thanks  from  the  commercial  world. — Robert  Moffat. 

Few  are  aware  how  much  we  owe  the  missionaries. 
We  must  look  to  them  not  a  little  for  aid  in  our  efforts 
to  advance  further  science. — Louis  Agassiz. 

Foreign  missions  are  not  only  foreign  missions,  they 
are  home  missions,  purifying  the  home  life  with  that 
larger  conception  of  charity,  redeeming  the  home  life 
with  that  worthier  conception  of  Christ,  which  they 
teach  and  give. — David  H.  Greer. 

As  the  commercial  and  even  the  political  life  of 
modern  nations  depends  upon  the  extent  and  persistency 
of  their  foreign  trade,  so  does  the  life  and  prosperity  of 
the  home  Church  depend  upon  the  extent  and  energy 
with  which  she  prosecutes  her  foreign  missionary  enter- 
prise.— George  F.  Pentecost. 

MISSIONARY    LANDS    AND    LABORS 

When  China  is  moved  it  will  change  the  face  of  the 
globe. — Napoleon  at  St.  Helena. 

It  is  a  great  step  toward  the  Christianization  of  our 
planet  if  Christianity  gain  an  entrance  into  China. — 
Neander. 

Rock,  rock,  when  wilt  thou  open  to  my  Savior? — 
Francis  Xavier,  at  Sancian,  while  seeking  an  entrance 
to  China. 

The  great  bars  are  gone  and  China  is  open;  not  the 
rim  of  China,  but  China.  This  great  empire  is  sure  to 
be  one  of  the  dominant  world-powers  in  the  future.  In 
working  for  China  we  are  working  for  all  nations  and 
for  coming  ages. — Chauncey  Goodrich. 

216 


MASTER    MISSIONARIES 


Win  China  to  Christ,  and  the  most  powerful  strong- 
hold of  Satan  upon  earth  will  have  fallen. — Mr.  Wong. 

China  is  under  the  hammer,  and  the  devil  is  an  active 
bidder. — A  Missionary  to  China. 

China  may  seem  walled  around  against  the  admission 
of  the  Word  of  God;  but  we  have  as  good  ground  to 
believe  that  all  its  bulwarks  shall  fall  before  it  as  Joshua 
had  respecting  the  walls  of  Jericho. — Robert  Morrison. 

All  I  pray  for  is  that  I  may  patiently  await  God's 
good  pleasure,  and,  whether  I  live  or  die,  it  may  be  for 
His  glory.  I  trust  poor  Fuegia  and  South  America  will 
not  be  abandoned. — Last  journal  of  Allen  Gardiner. 

THE    IMPORTANCE    OF    HOME    MISSIONS 

Our  plea  is  not,  "  America  for  America's  sake,"  but 
"  America  for  the  world's  sake."  If  this  generation  is 
faithful  to  its  trust,  America  is  to  become  God's  right 
arm  in  his  battle  with  the  world's  ignorance  and  oppres- 
sion and  sin. — Josiaii  Strong. 

It  is  ours  either  to  be  the  grave  in  which  the  hopes  of 
the  world  shall  be  entombed,  or  the  pillar  of  cloud  which 
shall  pilot  the  race  onward  to  millennial  glory. — Alex- 
ander Hamilton. 

Five  hundred  years  of  time  in  the  process  of  the 
world's  salvation  may  depend  on  the  next  twenty  years 
of  United  States  history. — Austin  Phelps. 

America  Christianized  means  the  world  Christianized. 
— Professor  Hoppin,  of  Yale. 

America  is  another  name  for  opportunity.  Our  whole 
history  appears  like  a  last  effort  of  Divine  providence 
in  behalf  of  the  human  race. — R.  W.  Emerson. 

Love  of  God  and  love  of  country  are  the  two  noblest 
passions  in  a  human  heart.  And  these  two  unite  in  home 
missions.     A  man  without  a  country  is  an  exile  in  the 

217 


HOLDING    TIJE    ROPES 


world,  and  a  man  without  God  is  an  orphan  in  eternity. 
— Henry  Van  Dyke. 

If  America  fail,  the  world  will  fail. — Professor  Park, 
of  Andover. 

As  America  goes,  so  goes  the  world  in  all  that  is  vital 
to  its  moral  welfare. — Austin  Phelps. 

heroic  devotion  to  the  service  of  CHRIST 

I  declare,  now  that  I  am  dying,  I  would  not  have  spent 
my  life  otherwise  for  the  whole  world. — David  Brainerd. 

If  I  had  a  thousand  lives  to  live,  Africa  should  have 
them  all. — Charles  Frederick  Mackenzie. 

Tho  a  thousand  fall,  let  not  Africa  be  given  up. — 
Melville  Cox,  as  he  lay  dying  urith  African  fever. 

Had  I  ten  thousand  lives,  I  would  willingly  offer  them 
up  for  the  sake  of  one  poor  negro. — William  A.  B. 
Johnson. 

Tell  the  king,  Mwanga,  that  I  die  for  the  Baganda, 
and  purchase  the  road  to  Uganda  with  my  life. — Last 
words  of  James  Hannington. 

Tell  the  committee  that  in  East  Africa  there  is  the 
lonely  grave  of  one  member  of  the  mission  connected 
with  your  society.  This  is  an  indication  that  you  have 
begun  the  conflict  in  this  part  of  the  world;  and  since 
the  conquests  of  the  Church  are  won  over  the  graves 
of  many  of  its  members,  you  may  be  all  the  more  assured 
that  the  time  has  come  when  you  are  called  to  work  for 
the  conversion  of  Africa.  Think  not  of  the  victims  who, 
in  this  glorious  warfare,  may  suffer  or  fall;  only  press 
forward  until  East  and  West  Africa  are  united  in  Christ. 
— Johann  Ludwig  Krapf,  after  the  death  of  his  wife 
and  infant  daughter. 

If  I  thought  anything  would  prevent  my  dying  for 
China,  the  thought  would  crush  me. — Samuel  Dyer. 

218 


MASTER    MISSIONARIES 


I  have  been  in  India  twenty  years,  and  if  I  had  twenty 
lives  to  live  I  would  give  i^iem  all  to  that  sin-cursed  land. 
— Mrs.  J.  C.  Archibald. 

Recall  the  twenty-one  years,  give  me  back  all  its  ex- 
perience, give  me  its  shipwrecks,  give  me  its  standings 
in  the  face  of  death,  give  it  me  surrounded  with  savages 
with  spears  and  clubs,  give  it  me  back  again,  with  spears 
flying  about  me,  with  the  club  knocking  me  to  the 
ground,  give  it  me  back,  and  I  will  still  be  your  mis- 
sionary ! — James  Chalmers. 

My  heart  burns  for  the  deliverance  of  Africa. — Alex- 
ander Mackay. 

I  see  no  business  in  life  but  the  work  of  Christ,  neither 
do  I  desire  any  employment  in  all  eternity  but  His 
service. — Hexry  Martyx. 

Even  if  no  one  should  be  benefited  and  no  fruits  fol- 
low my  efforts,  yet  I  will  go,  for  I  must  obey  my  Savior's 
call. — Leoxard  Dober,  the  first  Moravian  Missionary. 

I  want  the  wings  of  an  angel  and  the  voice  of  a  trum- 
pet, that  I  may  preach  the  Gospel  in  the  East  and  in 
the  West,  in  the  North  and  in  the  South. — Thomas 
Coke. 

My  Jesus,  my  King,  my  Life,  my  All,  I  again  dedicate 
my  whole  self  to  Thee. — David  Livixgstoxe,  in  his  jour- 
nal on  his  last  birthday,  save  one. 

Death  alone  will  put  a  stop  to  my  efforts. — David 
Livixgstoxe. 

I  have  one  passion;  it  is  He,  He  alone. — Couxt  Zix- 
zexdorf. 

Now  let  me  burn  out  for  God. — Hexry  Martyx. 

If  I  had  a  thousand  souls  and  they  were  worth  any- 
thing, I  would  give  them  all  to  God. — David  Braixerd. 

Here  am  I,  Lord,  send  me;  send  me  to  the  ends  of  the 
earth;  send  me  to  the  rough,  the  savage  pagans  of  the 

219 


HOLDING    THE    ROPES 


wilderness;  send  me  from  all  that  is  called  comfort  in 
the  earth;  send  me  even  to  death  itself  if  it  be  but  in 
Thy  service  and  to  promote  Thy  kingdom. — David 
Brainerd. 

missionaries'   mottoes  and   covenants 

Fidelity,  Perspicuity,  and  Simplicity. — Morrison's 
Motto. 

Be  thou  mine,  dear  Savior,  and  I  will  be  Thine. — Zin- 
zendorf's  Covenant,  entered  upon  at  the  age  of  four 
years. 

Turning  care  into  prayer. — The  favorite  expression  of 
John  Hunt,  of  Fiji. 

I'll  tell  the  Master. — Miss  Agnew's  words  in  time  of 
perplexity  or  trial. 

Having  set  my  hand  to  the  plow,  my  resolution  was 
peremptorily  taken,  the  Lord  helping  me,  never  to  look 
back  any  more,  and  never  to  make  a  half-hearted  work 
of  it.  Having  chosen  missionary  labor  in  India,  I  gave 
myself  wholly  up  to  it  in  the  destination  of  my  own 
mind.  I  united  or  wedded  myself  to  it  in  a  covenant, 
the  ties  of  which  should  be  severed  only  by  death. — 
Duff's   Covenant. 

Christ  is  conquering;  Christ  is  reigning;  Christ  is  tri- 
umphing.-— Charlemagne's  Motto. 

I  will  place  no  value  on  anything  I  have  or  may  pos- 
sess, except  in  relation  to  the  Kingdom  of  Christ.  If 
anything  I  have  will  advance  the  interests  of  that  King- 
dom, it  shall  be  given  up  or  kept,  as  by  keeping  or  giving 
it  I  shall  most  promote  the  glory  of  Him  to  whom  I  owe 
all  my  hopes,  both  of  time  and  eternity.  May  grace  be 
given  me  to  adhere  to  this! — Livingstone's  resolution 
made  in  young  manhood. 


220 


MASTER    MISSIONARIES 


MISCELLANEOUS 

Facts  are  the  fingers  of  God.  To  know  the  facts  of 
modern  missions  is  the  necessary  condition  of  intelligent 
interest. — Arthur  T.  Pierson. 

Information  is  the  true  foundation  of  missionary  in- 
terest. Special  appeals  will  arouse  enthusiasm  for  a 
time,  but  it  will  not  last. — Charles  Cuthbert  Hall. 

The  greatest  foes  of  missions  are  prejudice  and  in- 
difference, and  ignorance  is  the  mother  of  them  both. 
— A  non. 

Those  that  do  most  for  the  heathen  abroad  are  those 
that  do  most  for  the  heathen  at  home. — John  G.  Paton. 

If  you  want  to  serve  your  race,  go  where  no  one  else 
will  go  and  do  what  no  one  else  will  do. — Mary  Lyon. 

Whatever  Providence  gives  you  to  do,  do  it  with  all 
you  heart. — Fidelia  Fiske. 

The  lesson  of  the  missionary  is  the  enchanter's  wand. 
— Charles  Darwin. 

He  who  loves  not  lives  not;  he  who  lives  by  the  Life 
can  not  die. — Raymond  Lull. 

A  true  disciple  inquires  not  whether  a  fact  is  agreeable 
to  his  own  reason,  but  whether  it  is  in  the  Book. — 
Adoniram  Judson. 

Emotion  is  no  substitute  for  action.  You  love  Africa? 
"God  so  loved  that  He  gave" — what?  Superfluities? 
Leavings?     That  which  cost   Him   nothing? — George   L. 

PlLKINGTON. 

Men  who  live  near  to  God,  and  are  willing  to  suffer 
anything  for  Christ's  sake  without  being  proud  of  it, 
these  are  the  men  we  want. — Adoniram  Judson. 

It  is  how  we  live  more  than  where  we  live. — Fidelia 
Fiske. 

I  shall  not  live  to  see  it,  but  I  may  hear  of  it  in  heaven, 

221 


HOLDING    THE    ROPES 


that  New  Zealand,  with  all  its  cannibalism  and  idolatry, 
will  yet  set  an  example  of  Christianity  to  some  of  the 
nations  now  before  her  in  civilization. — Samuel  Marsden. 

Everywhere  God's  strong  hand  was  busy  during  the 
nineteenth  century,  preparing  a  highway  among  the 
nations  of  the  world  for  his  spiritual  and  eternal  king- 
dom on  the  earth. — James  S.  Dennis. 

Gospel  and  commerce — but  it  must  be  Gospel  first. 
Wherever  there  has  been  the  slightest  spark  of  civiliza- 
tion in  the  Southern  Seas  it  has  been  because  the  Gospel 
has  been  preached  there.  Civilization!  The  rampart 
can  only  be  stormed  by  those  who  carry  the  Cross. — 
James  Chalmers. 

No  missionary  is  better  employed  than  the  competent 
translator. — Canon  Edmunds. 

Were  I  to  go  to  heaven  to-morrow  I  should  do  what 
I  do  to-day. — John  Eliot. 

To  learn  facts  takes  pains  and  patience,  but  nothing 
save  holiness  commands  such  homage  as  a  thorough 
mastery  of  facts.  It  is  the  rarest  and  costliest  product 
in  the  mental  market. — Arthur  T.  Pierson. 

The  spirit  of  missions  is  the  spirit  of  the  Master — the 
very  essence  of  true  religion. — David  Livingstone. 

Men  in  the  most  difficult  and  dangerous  fields  should 
be  the  best  armed  and  the  best  equipped. — James  Gil- 
mour. 

wise  answers  of  master  missionaries 
"  Mr.  Morrison,"  asked  the  owner  of  the  ship  on  which 
the   great   "  Apostle   to   China "   was   about   to   sail    for 
Canton,  "  do  you  really  expect  to  make  an  impression 
on  the  idolatry  of  the  Chinese  Empire?" 

"  No,  sir ! "  answered  Morrison  with  dignified  stern- 
ness.   "  No,  sir ;  but  I  expect  God  will." 

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"  My  imperial  master,  the  Czar,"  said  a  Russian 
official  to  Dr.  Shauffler  on  one  occasion,  "  will  never  allow 
Protestantism  to  set  foot  in  Turkey." 

"  My  imperial  Master,  Christ,"  replied  the  great  mis- 
sionary calmly,  "  will  never  ask  the  Czar  of  Russia 
where  He  may  set  His  foot  or  plant  His  kingdom." 

"  Do  you  not  think,  Dr.  Carey,"  asked  a  Governor-Gen- 
eral of  one  of  the  provinces  of  India,  "  that  it  would  be 
wrong  to  force  the  Hindus  to  be  Christians?" 

"  My  lord,"  was  the  reply,  "  the  thing  is  impossible ; 
we  may  indeed  force  men  to  be  hypocrites,  but  no  power 
on  earth  can  force  them  to  become  Christians." 

"What  can  I  do  for  Christ?"  Bishop  Selwyn  was  once 
asked. 

"  Go  where  He  is  not  and  take  Him  with  you,"  was 
the  wise  reply. 

"  Goodell,  we  will  have  to  leave,"  said  Hamlin  to  his 
fellow-missionary  in  1851,  when  the  Sultan  of  Turkey 
ordered  the  expulsion  of  the  missionaries;  "the  Sultan 
has  issued  an  edict  and  the  British  ambassador  and  the 
American  consul  both  say  it  is  no  use  to  resist." 

"  Hamlin,"  replied  Goodell,  "  the  Sultan  of  the  uni- 
verse can  change  all  this." 

Next  day,  suddenly  and  unexpectedly,  the  Sultan  died, 
and  the  edict  was  heard  of  no  more. 

"What  are  the  prospects  in  Burma?"  Adoniram  Jud- 
son  was  asked. 

"  The  prospects  are  as  bright  as  the  promises  of  God," 
was  his  reply. 

223 


HOLDING    THE    ROPES 


"  What  are  the  discouragements  in  your  work  ? "  Dr. 
John  Scudder  was  asked  while  at  home  on  furlough. 

"  I  do  not  know  the  word,"  he  replied ;  "  I  long  ago 
erased  it  from  my  vocabulary." 

"  Was  it  faith  or  love  that  influenced  you  most  in 
going  to  Burma?  "  Judson  was  once  asked. 

"  There  was  in  me  at  that  time  little  of  either,"  the 
great  missionary  replied ;  "  but  in  thinking  of  what  did 
influence  me,  I  remember  a  time  out  in  the  woods  be- 
hind Andover  when  I  was  almost  disheartened.  Every- 
thing looked  dark.  No  one  had  gone  out  from  this 
country.  The  way  was  not  open.  The  field  was  far 
distant,  and  in  an  unhealthy  climate.  I  knew  not  what 
to  do.  All  at  once  Christ's  '  last  command '  seemed  to 
come  to  my  heart  directly  from  heaven.  I  could  doubt 
no  longer,  but  determined  on  the  spot  to  obey  it  at  all 
hazards  for  the  sake  of  'pleasing  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ. 
If  the  Lord  wants  you  for  missionaries,  He  will  send 
that  word  home  to  your  hearts.  If  He  does  so,  you 
neglect  it  at  your  peril." 

"  Have  you  ever  repented  being  a  missionary?"  Henry 
Martyn  said  to  Vanderkemp  in  his  old  age. 

"  I  would  not  exchange  my  work  for  a  kingdom,"  was 
the  heroic  reply. 


224 


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